Vucic Calls Lack of Lengthy Gas Deal with Russia a Very Bad Message

Oil and gas company NIS (Photo: NIS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Oct. 11 that the new natural gas deal that Russia had offered Serbia -- to extend the existing one until Dec. 31 -- was "very disappointing news" and sent "a very, very bad message."

Calling in to the Informer TV's live program, Vucic said he had expected a three-year gas supply contract to be signed in May, that the Serbian side had been "more than fair" in negotiations in that it had abandoned arbitration to preserve relations with Moscow.

"Why until the New Year? The logic is simple and I won't hide it. Because they want to tell us, 'If you move to nationalize NIS or anything else, we can cut your gas on Dec. 31,'" Vucic said. He reiterated the message that Serbia had no intention of nationalizing the NIS oil company, even though U.S. officials, he claimed, had offered him a way out of the problem through nationalization, which would exempt the company from U.S. sanctions.

"I said that was not acceptable to me. Ours is neither a communist nor a fascist country, nor do we like to grab others' capital and others' property," Vucic said. The Serbian president also said that the state would "take measures" due to the sanctions against NIS and present "new ideas" related to the company to the Russians on Oct. 13.