Washington insisted that Russia pull out of Serbian oil company NIS and maintain sanctions
Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic explained on Saturday that the US government had rejected the request of NIS (Serbian Oil Industry) lawyers to demand the lifting of sanctions in exchange for“change management agreement” in oil companies, is very important for the local economy. In 2009, Serbia sold a majority stake in NIS to Russian giant Gazprom Neft.
“For the first time, the American government clearly and unequivocally stated and wrote that it wants a complete change in the ownership of Russian shareholders, that is, it demands the withdrawal of Russian ownership of the NIS company”said the minister in a press statement.
After several delays since January, the US Treasury Department began implementing sanctions against the NIS on October 9, as part of broader sanctions against Russia’s energy sector, over Russia’s refusal to end the war in Ukraine.
As a major player in the Serbian oil market, NIS manages two refineries in the country, in Novi Sad, and in Pancevo, near Belgrade, which supply about 80% of the Serbian market. NIS representatives said the refinery has oil reserves that will operate until November 25.
Under such circumstances, the Serbian Minister of Energy announced that the Serbian state must take action “hard decision”awaken possibilities “resumption of the company” by the government.
“I know President Vucic is against nationalization, and so are many of us in government”said Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, announcing the meeting on Sunday ” Extraordinary “ government regarding this matter.
“We will not allow our country to be put in danger, but we may face some of the most difficult decisions in our history in the future.”continued the minister.
As a candidate for European Union membership, Serbia is also one of the rare countries on the continent that did not impose sanctions on Russia following their invasion of Ukraine. It is heavily dependent on Russian gas imports.
The minister stated on Tuesday that the Russian side was the one who did this “ready to surrender control and influence in society (…) to third parties ». “I hope our Russian friends understand the seriousness of the situation and help us overcome it”he said again.
According to him, the American authorities agreed “authorization for property negotiations, valid until February 13”however, this authorization does not suspend sanctions. “We don’t have a single day to allow NIS to continue operating”continued MI Djedovic Handanovic.
According to available data, Gazprom Neft owns almost 45% of the shares of the Serbian company. Its parent company, Gazprom, recently transferred 11.3% of its shares to Intelligence, a company in St. Petersburg. The Serbian state owns almost 30% of the company and the remainder is owned by minority shareholders.
