American sanctions against NIS are not directed at the Serbian people, but their intention is to exert financial pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine, stated today the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Serbia, Alexander Titolo.
In an interview for Blic, he said that Serbia should take steps to remove Russian ownership of the company NIS, and to take control of key energy resources and achieve greater energy independence.
The US, he added, is ready to cooperate with Belgrade in working to diversify its energy sector and reduce dependence on unreliable suppliers.
“We hope and expect that when this situation is resolved, Serbia will emerge from it economically stronger, and an economically stronger and more successful Serbia potentially opens new opportunities in our relations. We look forward to the upcoming Strategic Dialogue between the United States of America and Serbia, which will explore and advance those opportunities,” he said.
He stated that revenues from NIS finance the Kremlin’s war machine, and that Russia could resolve this situation “as early as tomorrow if it agreed to sell its stake in the NIS company at a fair price.”
“In the spirit of cooperation with Serbia, the implementation of sanctions was delayed for almost 9 months. We have been in close contact with our Serbian partners on this issue and we appreciate their coordination with us,” he said.
“Russian ownership and control over the company NIS are also detrimental to Serbia because they narrow its opportunities to diversify its energy sector, achieve energy independence, and give the most efficient and most advanced companies a chance to compete to advance its energy sector the most. Therefore, it is an obstacle to economic opportunities and economic growth,” he added.
He answered negatively to the journalist’s question about whether there would be speculation that the moment for imposing sanctions was deliberately chosen to further destabilize the already shaky political situation in Serbia.
“Far from it. We greatly appreciate our growing and widening partnership with Serbia as well as the commitment shown by the President (of Serbia Aleksandar) Vučić in this regard,” he stated and added that the partnership between Serbia and the US is getting stronger.
The Chargé d’Affaires emphasized that strengthening the bilateral relations between the US and Serbia is a key priority of President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We are serious about building a strong partnership with Serbia based on mutual respect and mutual opportunities. Also, we greatly appreciate President Vučić’s commitment to deepening relations with the US and look forward to future opportunities for cooperation at the highest level,” he concluded.
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Source: Nova.rs, Photo: OLIVER BUNIC / AFP