Opposition Party: U.S.-Russia Deal on NIS Oil Company Reached to Serbia’s Benefit

Oil and gas company NIS (BETAPHOTO/EMIL VAS)

People's Party president Vladimir Gajic said on Jan. 21 that the agreement between the U.S. and Russia on the Serbian oil company NIS had been made to the benefit of Serbia, which "will not sustain any losses" in the sale of the majority stake in NIS to the Hungarian MOL.

He said the problem of NIS, blacklisted by the U.S. due to its majority Russian ownership, could have "cost Serbia dearly" as the company accounts for ten percent of state till revenue.

"The thing is done -- mainly because there was good will on the American side. The sanctions against NIS were introduced by the administration of the previous U.S. president, Joseph Biden. The current administration, U.S. President Donald Trump's, is not undertaking activities that are directly against Serbia and we have entered a period in which the U.S. is engaging much less with issues painful to Serbia -- by that I mean supporting our opponents," Gajic told Blic TV.

He went on to say that, as far as he could see, "the situation is not deteriorating in Kosovo and Metohija either." "America has removed pressure altogether about Republika Srpska and at the same time pressure from the EU on [Republika Srpska] stopped too. Sanctions against Milorad Dodik, against his family members and other people were lifted, which happened in part due to the exceptional relations between [Republika Srpska] and Israel," Gajic said.