"What water is to Kuwait, lithium is to Serbia": Professor Ilic addresses Look Up conference

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"In order to prove to people what it is and how it is - 40 years ago I drove water from Yugoslavia to Kuwait, and what water is to Kuwait, lithium is to Serbia," said Dejan Ilic, president of the the Executive Board of the Investment Fund of Serbia, speaking at the opening of the second day of the Look Up conference, held on Mt. Kopaonik.

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"Today, the most critical metal, or the one most used and processed, is enriched uranium. Two years ago, no one could say that. All the countries of the world do, but it probably doesn't affect us because we don't have a central place and we don't plan to make weapons. Another metal that is interesting to us, and I would say is of great importance, is lithium," Ilic said in his opening address.

"Whether company X or Y will do it, is not important at all. How that alloy and other minerals and chemical compounds will be processed is not important to us. What's important is that it happens according to our regulations and laws. That is decisive, and everything else will have to be negotiated by those who are paid to do it. The question is what do we want? Of course we want to grow," Ilic pointed out and noted that he does not want us to deal with batteries for cars, but specialized batteries.

The president of the Executive Board also touched on the issue of coal.

"The energy transition from pure green hydrogen to coal has a big step and we need to overcome it... I don't advise anyone to give up what they have."

(Telegraf Biznis)