Late last night we were notified by the U.S. Government with bad news and a difficult message concerning NIS, said Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović regarding OFAC’s response. They are demanding the exit of Russian ownership from the company NIS.
“Namely, for the first time, in response to NIS’s request, they have unambiguously stated that they want a complete change of Russian shareholders, meaning they demand an exit from ownership,” she said.
“Difficult decisions ahead of us”
“We find ourselves at a moment when perhaps some of the most difficult decisions in the modern history of Serbia lie before us. The geopolitical situation is changing day by day, and I hope that our Russian friends will understand the seriousness of the moment and help us jointly emerge from this extremely complex situation. We have found ourselves, through no fault of our own, in the middle of a political and geopolitical conflict, and as a small country we now have to pay a high price. And the only thing we wanted was to be fair and correct toward all our partners and all our friends,” the minister said.
“I therefore wanted to inform you about the decision of the U.S. administration and about the gravity of the moment we are in. The functioning of NIS is of vital importance to us. It concerns our economy, our industry, and our citizens. During the previous night we had intensive consultations; we practically did not sleep, neither President Vučić nor certain members of the Government. The talks continue,” she added.
She explained that she sees “what President Vučić is going through and how difficult and responsible the decisions before him are.”
“The sanctions, which have now lasted for thirty-six days, since the ninth of October, have not been felt by the citizens precisely because the state was well prepared. Tomorrow, during the Government session and after it, we will have more information and a clearer picture,” the minister said.
She sincerely hopes they will remain united on this issue.
“That unity is necessary for us to protect the interests of Serbia and the interests of all our citizens. I want to say that we are working around the clock, and that we will continue to work and fight, because Serbia must be protected. And our citizens must not suffer,” she added.
Tomorrow a meeting with directors of public companies
The Government of Serbia will hold a session tomorrow at the Palace of Serbia, to which all directors of public companies have been invited.
The session will begin at 11 a.m., the government announced.
Prime Minister Đuro Macut has, as a reminder, scheduled a government session for tomorrow, which will also be attended by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, and the topic is the Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS).
The topic of the session will be the response of the U.S. OFAC to the request for an exemption from sanctions for NIS.
As previously confirmed by “Blic Biznis,” special attention will be dedicated to the expected response of OFAC regarding the current situation in NIS.
The Russian owners of the Petroleum Industry of Serbia sent a request to the U.S. OFAC seeking an extension of the operating license, based on negotiations with a third party. A response was expected during this week.
Sanctions against NIS took effect at the beginning of October
The sanctions were imposed by the U.S. because of the company’s majority Russian ownership.
The company NIS informed the public that the special license of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which allows uninterrupted operational business, has not been extended, marking the beginning of the implementation of U.S. sanctions against the company.
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STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS: “Removing Russian control over NIS increases Serbia’s energy security”
Source: Nova, FOto: A.K./ATAImages