Vucic: Serbia Secures Extension to Gas Supply Arrangement with Russia

Aleksandar Vucic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said that Belgrade has agreed with Russia a new extension to the existing natural gas supply arrangement for another three months, until March 31. 

“People can feel safe and sleep peacefully as Serbia will have both electricity and enough gas for the upcoming winter season,” Vucic told reporters after awarding contracts to the best graduates of medical faculties and secondary medical schools. The existing long-term natural gas arrangement with Russia expires at the end of this year.

Asked about the possibility of Hungary’s oil company MOL buying the Russian majority stake in oil and gas company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), which was the reason for the US to impose sanctions against the company, Vucic said that the Russians were in talks to sell their controlling stake in NIS to MOL, adding he hoped that an agreement would be reached as soon as possible.

“We have no objection to this potential arrangement, the Hungarians are our friends. We just want to see this problem resolved as soon as possible,” Vucic said.  He recalled that although NIS had been under the US sanctions for 75 days now, Serbia had not experienced any shortages so far, but stressed that there was no way to import enough diesel oil on a daily basis and was therefore necessary to solve that problem as soon as possible. He dismissed the opposition’s accusations that the country was returning to the 1990s.

“They have always hoped that they can go back to their youth and organize the same protest walks like those in the 90s and assemble crowds on the streets. It is romantic and nostalgic for them, but it has nothing to do with reality. People in Serbia want stability and a stable future, and they turn to those who can realize their hopes,” Vucic noted.