site.btaSerbian Government Will Take Necessary Measures to Guarantee Country's Energy Security, Foreign Minister Says

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric stated that the Serbian government would take all necessary measures to guarantee the country’s energy security and to resolve the issue with the national oil company NIS in accordance with the country’s laws and interests, Tanjug reported on Tuesday. He added that the country has the support of its European partners.

Djuric said this at a joint press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul in response to a journalist’s question about how Serbia would resolve the crisis in the Serbian oil industry.

At the beginning of January, the US announced that, due to the war in Ukraine and the “secondary risk”, it would impose sanctions on Serbia’s sole oil company NIS, which is majority-owned by the Russian oil giant Gazprom. Washington then demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian capital from the company, and later postponed the introduction of sanctions eight times. On November 15, the US gave NIS a three-month deadline to free itself entirely from Russian participation in its ownership.

“The current geopolitical situation, not only in terms of security but also in terms of environmental protection needs, dictates a greater degree of diversification. We discussed this with our European partners as well. It is very important for us to receive messages of support for the diversification of Serbia’s energy supplies from Europe and Brussels,” Djuric said.

He stated that the Serbian government is trying to open the way for dialogue with the protesters and is working to reduce social tensions, and that in the coming period it will double its efforts in this direction.

Over the past year, Serbia has been engulfed in anti-government demonstrations, led by students. The protests began after the concrete canopy of the Novi Sad railway station collapsed on November 1 last year following renovation works, causing the death of 16 people. The protesters believe that the tragedy occurred because of corruption and negligence. Their demands for a transparent investigation into the tragedy and for criminal responsibility have grown into a call for early elections.

“I cannot agree with some assessments that sufficient freedom of assembly was not ensured or that there was no possibility for expressing different views, given that at more than 22,000 public gatherings many critical, and sometimes angry, opinions could be heard. And I am glad that there were no casualties, but I cannot fail to mention the fact that political violence took many forms, so the premises of the party to which I belong (the ruling Serbian Progressive Party – editor’s note) were attacked and set on fire a total of 28 times in previous months,” Djuric said after the meeting with Wadephul.

Djuric stated that he sees great potential for improving cooperation between Serbia and Germany in the field of new technologies, agriculture, but also in science, culture and education.

“Economic exchange between Serbia and Germany exceeds EUR 12 billion, and for our country this is of immense importance. Just as the fact that German industry employs tens of thousands, nearly 100,000 workers directly in Serbia, and the indirect contribution of cooperation with Germany to the Serbian economy is even greater,” Djuric said at the joint press conference with Wadephul.

The German Foreign Minister stated that Belgrade and Berlin are connected and that Serbia is part of the European family.

“Germany and Serbia have long been closely connected, both economically and through numerous personal contacts. Many German companies operate successfully in Serbia, Germany is Serbia’s most important trading partner. A large number of people of Serbian origin have found their home in Germany. These ties are of immense value. Serbia is part of our European family and must have the opportunity to participate in the EU’s community of values,” Wadephul said.

He thanked for the hospitality and said that during his visit to Serbia, interesting and constructive discussions had been held.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Wadephul on Monday and emphasized that Germany is one of Serbia’s biggest and most important partners.

“Serbia attaches great importance to cooperation with Germany, which is one of our biggest and most important partners. We discussed numerous projects, especially in the fields of energy and infrastructure,” Vucic wrote on his official Instagram profile.

He thanked Wadephul for the support that Germany provides for the economic development and reform processes in Serbia.

“We paid special attention to Serbia’s European path, regional stability and the numerous global challenges we are facing. I am confident that today’s meeting will contribute to the further deepening of the partnership between Serbia and Germany, as well as to the continuation of joint work in areas important for both countries,” Vucic added.

The German foreign minister Johann Wadephul began his visit to the Western Balkan countries on Sunday, and his visit to Belgrade, which began on Monday evening, has concluded.