Serbia: Russians criticize Serbian gov on GazpromNeft Oil company NIS privatization investigation

Published on 6. October 2014., News Serbia Energy

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak sent a letter to the Serbian competent colleague Aleksandar Antic, in which he asked him to explain why he launched an investigation on the NIS privatization and diplomatically suggested that the future bilateral relations between the two countries would depend on the investigation results.

In fact, Moscow is surprised by such a gesture of Belgrade and seeks the explanation whether the reasons for initiating the procedure of the company sale after six years are connected with the pressures of the EU that Serbia should make distance from Russia.

Further cooperation is uncertain

Source of “Kurir” from the Government argues that this letter has concerned the authorities in Belgrade because the issue of NIS privatization could bring the financial contracts and Russian investment transactions in Serbia into question.

Antic: We regularly communicate, international agreements are not affected

– Minister Novak diplomatically warned the Serbian side that “Gazprom Neft” and Moscow could not be the target of a political confrontation in Serbia. Also, he asked the explanation whether the start of this process was accidentally coincided with the Brussels pressures that Serbia should declare on the sanctions against Moscow because of the Ukrainian crisis. Especially worrying is the fact that the letter indicates that the investigation results will depend on the future bilateral relations between the two countries – says our source.

There is no reason for concern

Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic confirmed the findings of Kurir on the conversation with a colleague.

– I have a regular dialogue with the Russian Minister and within this communication he has requested additional information related with an investigation on NIS privatization. I do not think this letter could affect our interstate agreements, as well as the implementation of the gas agreement. The fact that we already have the October meeting of the intergovernmental commission also confirms that this is so – said Antic.

South Stream

WITHOUT BARRIERS IN CONSTRUCTION

Serbia will earn 7.7 billion EUR of transit fees from the pipeline South Stream over the next 25 years, said a spokesman of the “South Stream Transport” Jasper Jansen to the reporters who visited the plant on the Nord Stream Baltic coast. Communications Director of Nord Stream Ulrich Lisek stressed that there were similar challenges in the functioning of the northern and southern pipeline.

– I do not see the technical, financial and political obstacles to construct the South Stream, the money is provided, and the owners of the pipeline are strong – said Lisek.