U.S. Official: People in Serbia to Decide on Lithium Mine, U.S. Supports Government's Position

U.S. Assistant Secretary Geoffrey Pyatt (Photo: PrintScreen YouTube)

Serbia’s lithium project is an opportunity for Serbia to deepen ties with the European Union (EU), and position itself as a leader in the industry that will be very important in the future, but whether the mine will be developed is up to the people in Serbia, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt said on Aug. 21.

In an interview with the Voice of America, Pyatt said that Western countries were in search for alternatives in lithium supply, to reduce their heavy dependence on China. Pyatt also responded to claims from Moscow that the West was trying to topple Serbian government using protests  against lithium mining, underlining that the situation was precisely the opposite – the U.S. supported the authorities in Serbia regarding Rio Tinto’s Jadar project.

"This is an important project for the U.S. for several reasons. First, it is an opportunity to deepen ties between the EU and Serbia, which has been a U.S. policy goal for years. It is also an important part of our partnership with the EU to accelerate the energy transition, and to produce large quantities of key minerals needed to achieve the goal we all want—reducing carbon emissions in our economies," Pyatt explained.

When asked by the VoA if the project was important for Serbia, Pyatt said that "this is for the people in Serbia to decide." "My opinion is that this is a generational opportunity for Serbia to position itself as a leader in the industry that will be very, very important for future competitiveness in the U.S., Europe, and beyond," he added.