Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that he and Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić have agreed to continue their joint efforts to prevent damage to their mutual interests in Serbia’s Oil Industry (NIS), repots RFE.
On January 10, the United States sanctioned NIS because the company is owned by the Russian company Gazprom Neft, aiming to prevent Russia from using energy revenues to finance the war in Ukraine.
“Certain forces in the West do not want our cooperation and are trying to obstruct our partnership,” Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Đurić, who is on a two-day visit to Moscow.
NIS, which operates gas stations and oil refineries in Serbia, is owned 56.15% by Gazprom Neft and Gazprom, while Serbia holds nearly a third of the shares.
Serbia, alongside Belarus, is one of the only European countries that has not imposed sanctions on Russia for the war in Ukraine.
Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said talks regarding NIS would continue, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić would also discuss the matter with Russian officials.
“The most important thing is that the Serbian people do not suffer from the sanctions against NIS,” Đurić said.
Serbia’s Oil Industry (NIS) has requested the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control to extend the deadline for implementing the sanctions.
President Vučić said on February 6 that he is still waiting for a response from U.S. officials and considers the extension of sanctions necessary until a solution for the ownership issue of the company is found.
After meeting with Lavrov, Đurić stated that Serbia is on the European path, but would maintain its relationship with Russia.
“We hope that our traditional friendly relations will reach their full potential in the coming period, and we will work intensively with our Russian partners to achieve this goal,” Đurić said.
Serbia depends on Russia for natural gas supplies and relies on Moscow’s support to counter Kosovo’s independence in international organizations.
Serbia has supported United Nations resolutions for the territorial integrity of Ukraine but has not distanced itself from the official position of Moscow despite calls from Brussels.
