While a solution for the business operations of NIS is being sought, Serbia is expanding possibilities for energy supply from various directions. The plan is for the interconnector between Serbia and North Macedonia to be completed by the end of 2027 and for gas to start flowing through it by the beginning of 2028, said Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović. President Aleksandar Vučić said, regarding the public’s fear that the issue of NIS and possible secondary sanctions could affect the dinar, that the exchange rate is stable and that it is not true that there is not enough foreign currency.
It is the sixty-fifth day since the US sanctions against Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), which is majority Russian-owned, came into effect.
The Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović Handanović, met yesterday with the Minister of Mining of North Macedonia, Sanja Bozinovski, and stated that permits for the construction of the gas interconnector between Serbia and North Macedonia are currently being obtained.
The plan, according to her, is for the interconnector to be completed by the end of 2027 and for gas to start flowing through it by the beginning of 2028.
A part of the public fears that the issue of NIS and possible secondary sanctions could affect the exchange rate.
President Aleksandar Vučić stated that the dinar exchange rate is stable and that it is not true that there is no foreign currency for sale, as Serbia has the largest foreign currency reserves.
Professor of the Belgrade Banking Academy Ismail Musabegović warns that the problem is serious, but not crucial for currency stability.
Regarding the issue of Russian ownership, it is not apparent from the statements of officials that Serbia plans to nationalize NIS, but is ready to pay for a share in the company, believes former Assistant Minister of Energy Raša Kojčić.
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Source: RTS, Photo: OLIVER BUNIC / AFP