U.S. Official: Serbia-U.S. Agreement on Energy Step Toward Strengthening Cooperation

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

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt has said that an agreement between the U.S. and Serbia on strategic cooperation in the area of energy "is an extremely important step toward deepening cooperation between the two governments,  as well as incentivizing cooperation between the two countries' private sectors," the Voice of America reported on Sept. 19.

The U.S. official added that the document was a roof agreement which he described "as an empty canvas that can be painted on as you wish." The agreement on strategic cooperation in the area of energy was signed with the U.S. in Washington on Sept. 18 by Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric and U.S. Under Secretary Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez.

Asked whether the agreement would enable Serbia to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, Geoffrey Pyatt said that the U.S. supported (energy) diversification and that it "is key to security." Asked whether the agreement dealt with lithium, Pyatt, who hailed the opening of a Rio Tinto company mine as a generational opportunity for Serbia said that, "There is no reason for cooperation not be deepened in the area of critical minerals."