North Macedonia, The sanctions against Russia will be implemented by the country as well

North Macedonian Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi said that the sanctions against Russia announced by the European Union will be implemented by the country as well.

Minister Bekteshi said that the decision will be announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and assured that there will not be a shortage of diesel fuel in the country as a consequence of this decision.

President of the Energy Regulatory Commission (RKE) Marko Bislimovski said that this decision will not increase the price of diesel in the county. According to him, there is a company in Macedonia that procures oil and oil derivatives from a Russian refinery, but the quantity it imports is insignificant and will not cause a disruption in the fuel market in the country.

The European Union, as a new sanction against Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, decided to ban the import of Russian crude oil and oil products. According to available data, some 15 % of diesel fuel consumption in the EU is procured from Russian refineries. In order to replace the Russian supply, the EU already agreed the supply of diesel from Kuwait. Apart from diesel, there is also a ban on the import of Russian fuel oil, extra light oil and kerosene.