Opposition Leader Lambasts Vucic for Not Taking Over Russian NIS Shares

Dragan Djilas (BETAPHOTO/EMIL VAS/EV)

President Aleksandar Vucic dares not do what is necessary to resolve the crisis with the Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) oil and gas company, thereby adding daily to the damage NIS is sustaining, which will soon become irreparable, Dragan Djilas, the leader of the oppositional Freedom and Justice Party, said on Dec. 22.

Djilas recalled that, in discussing NIS, Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to the 2009 contract signed between Serbia and Russia, whereby Gazprom Neft bought a majority stake in the Serbian company – a fact that eventually led to the U.S.’s current, crippling sanctions against NIS.

“That contract, however, also had a part envisaging the South Stream pipeline, which was supposed to pass through Serbia and garner us about EUR200 million a year, yet which never came to fruition… South Stream was canceled because the EU didn’t allow its construction and the Russians cited force majeure. Well, gentlemen, now we again have force majeure, because the U.S. says NIS cannot operate while owned by Russians,” said Djilas, who has repeatedly called on the Serbian government to buy out Russia’s stake in NIS.