Serbia appeals to US for more time to address issues of oil refinery
(MENAFN) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has requested additional time from the United States to address concerns over the country’s sole oil refinery, largely owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.
Earlier this month, the White House imposed restrictions targeting NIS (Petroleum Industry of Serbia), which prompted Croatia to halt crude oil deliveries and raised the risk of a refinery shutdown. The sanctions also affected NIS-operated gas stations, which can no longer process payments via American Express, Mastercard, or Visa.
Vucic told a news agency, “I hope the US won’t start secondary sanctions” before mid-December, noting that Belgrade is seeking a solution regarding Gazprom’s majority stake in NIS. He also asked US officials to avoid targeting Serbian financial institutions that facilitate payments at the refinery’s stations.
NIS operates a refinery in Pancevo near Belgrade and manages over 400 petrol stations across the region. Gazprom Neft is the largest shareholder with 44.85%, Gazprom holds 11.3%, and the Serbian state owns 29.87%.
According to US officials, Washington expects Serbia to either secure a sale of Gazprom’s stake or take control via nationalization. Vucic dismissed the idea of unilateral action against the Russian energy firm, stressing he is “neither a communist nor a fascist.”
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