Lavrov: We Have Agreed With Serbia To Prevent Damage From Sanctions Against Serbia’s NIS Oil Corporation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV/EV)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Feb. 17, after a meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Marko Djuric, that Russia and Serbia had agreed to continue cooperation in the energy sector.

"Today, we are facing a situation where those accustomed to unfair competition are trying to obstruct our joint enterprise, NIS, by imposing sanctions and forcing the company to give up cooperation with Russia. In this regard, we have agreed with our Serbian friends to continue working together to prevent damage to our shared interests," Lavrov told reporters.

The Russian foreign minister recalled that Russia was the largest supplier of natural gas to Serbia, covering 85% of its needs.

"We have never let down our Serbian friends and have always supplied Serbia with this energy resource in a reliable manner. Our mutually beneficial cooperation does not sit well with Western powers, who are trying to manipulate the market using unfair practices in a bid to  replace affordable Russian gas with American liquefied natural gas, which is much more expensive," Lavrov explained.

Lavrov also condemned "attempts to destabilize Serbia" and foreign interference in the country's internal affairs.

"We support the Serbian president’s efforts and his stance not to allow the destabilization of the country. The Serbian president has presented concrete evidence of interference by foreign states. We condemn such practices and believe that the principle of non-interference in a country’s internal affairs must be respected by all, especially our Western colleagues," Lavrov stated.

He also confirmed Russia’s readiness to support Serbia in protecting its legal interests regarding Kosovo, and announced that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will attend the 80th anniversary celebration of the end of World War II in Moscow in May.