Statement of Aleksey Miller, President of Gasprom Managing Board, that some individuals are trying to obstruct South Stream, represent friendly support from Moscow actually to Dusan Bajatovic the CEO of Srbijagas company.
The reason for support is that Russian side considers Director of Srbijagas, Dusan Bajatovic, as man of trust and loyal partner when it comes to the realization of gas agreement between Russia and Serbia.
Russians observe criticisms on Bajatovic as “putting clips in wheels” to the South Stream project- Danas find out from well informed sources.
Interlocutor of Danas who wanted to remain anonymous stresses that Miller’s statement most probably represents “sending the signal” to Moscow in order not to pay attention to criticisms on Bajatovic from the state top.
Managing Director of Srbijagas, who by the way speaks Russian fluently, was one of the greatest negotiators with reference to construction of South Stream through Serbia and he deserves full support from Gasprom’s administration, according to opinion of many people.
“All big political parties who constitute Serbian Government evidently support construction of South Stream at the moment. Serbian Progressive Party and Serbian Socialist Party also support this project. Mladjan Dinkic was against the South Stream project earlier, but ambassadorial group of United Serbian Regions voted for its construction through Serbia. I allow a possibility that someone of “smaller players” from less important political parties gives some statement against South Stream. However, I believe that Russians consider this attack on Bajatovic as an attack on South Stream, so Miller showed some concern during his meetings with the state top of Serbia”, our interlocutor stresses.
Miller also said during the conversation with Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and the first Deputy President of Republic Government Aleksandar Vucic, that Bajatovic is the “guaranty of this partnership”. Vucic supposedly guaranteed to Miller that SNS and the Government support strategic partnership between Serbia and Russia and that anyone who tries to obstruct construction of South Stream will be expelled from the Government. This can be the signal to Serbian Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic to slow down because she has claimed several times in the show “Utisak Nedelje” that Srbijagas doesn’t work well and that Direction should be investigated. Minister reminded on the report from National Audit Institution which submitted criminal charges against Bajatovic to the company after already done check.
Source; Serbia Energy/Danas/Agencies
