Minister: Serbia, NIS Prepared to Import Non-Russian Oil

Zorana Mihajlovic (BETAPHOTO/MINISTRY of MINING and ENERGY/ZORAN PETROVIC)

Serbian Minister of  Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlovic said on Oct. 6 that Serbia and the Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) were ready to import non-Russian oil.

"Whether or not Serbia should be exempted from a ban on Russian oil imports as part of the EU's eighth package of sanctions and whether someone prevented this is not important, because we did not count on not having Russian oil as of Nov. 1 at all," Mihajlovic told reporters at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce after media reports that Croatia and some other EU members had allegedly prevented Serbia from being exempted from the the EU's eighth package of sanctions by Croatia and some other EU members.

She stressed that it was already known in May that Serbia would not be allowed to import Russian oil as of November, which was why the country imported a little Russian oil and some other types of oil, 20 percent of which was Serbian Velebit oil while the procurements depended on prices. " NIS for months has been gearing up to import 80 percent non-Russian oil 20 percent of which will be refined Serbian Velebit oil, one of the best quality oils in the world, Mihajlovic said.