Energy agreement on agenda tomorrow

A Democratic Party of Serbia spokesman says ratification of the energy agreement with Russia will be on the agenda tomorrow. Andreja Mladenovic said that a proposal would be presented at tomorrow’s cabinet meeting for the energy agreement with Russia to be submitted to parliament for ratification. Energy agreement on agenda tomorrow Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he was convinced that the Serbian parliament would ratify the agreement with Russia. According to Beta though, Serbian ministers have yet to receive the proposal. “We hope that the government will reach a unanimous decision to send the agreement to parliament for ratification, because this is an agreement that is in the best interests of Serbia,” Mladenovic stressed. Since the Russian side had finished its part of the work regarding when the energy agreement would come into force, Mladenovic said that he believed that the Serbian parliament could convene immediately to ratify the agreement. He said that it was inconceivable that “the [League of Vojvodina Social Democrats leader Nenad] Canak-Democratic Party (DS)-G17 Plus coalition would try and scrap the agreement with Russia tomorrow, as that would be a disastrous decision for Serbia and its citizens.” However, Minister without Portfolio Dragan Djilas told Beta today that he did not know whether the government would decide to pass the proposal on to parliament at tomorrow’s meeting. Finance Minister Mirko Cvetkovic told Radio B92 today that he had heard about the decision via the media. He said that that proposal would be addressed in line with the Democratic Party’s (DS) agreement with its coalition partners in the government with it whom it would be standing at the forthcoming elections, though he did not want to offer his personal opinion on the matter. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Lavrov expressed his confidence that the future Serbian parliament would ratify the agreement with Russia, and said that the Duma should ratify it also, without waiting for Belgrade. Asked why ratification was taking so long by a Duma official, the Russian foreign minister said that Serbia was currently in the middle of an election campaign, and that the government and parliament therefore had “limited authority,” and that it was a question of “purely technical delays.” “I am convinced that the Serbian parliament will ratify the agreement as soon as it is formed,” Lavrov said. He also said that he “does not see why the Duma should tie its own time frames for ratification with Serbia’s ratification.” The Russo-Serbian agreement was signed on January 25, and envisages the construction of a gas pipeline through Serbia, the sale of 51 percent of the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS) to Russian Gazprom, and the creation of a joint company to construct the South Stream pipeline. The agreement envisages the joint company in question being formed by May 25 at the latest. Without ratification of the agreement, pipeline construction could be brought into question. The pipeline is vital to Serbia because it is currently receiving gas from only one direction – from Russia, via Ukraine and Hungary. Andreja Mladenovic (FoNet, archive)

Energy agreement on agenda tomorrow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he was convinced that the Serbian parliament would ratify the agreement with Russia. According to Beta though, Serbian ministers have yet to receive the proposal.

“We hope that the government will reach a unanimous decision to send the agreement to parliament for ratification, because this is an agreement that is in the best interests of Serbia,” Mladenović stressed.

Since the Russian side had finished its part of the work regarding when the energy agreement would come into force, Mladenović said that he believed that the Serbian parliament could convene immediately to ratify the agreement.

He said that it was inconceivable that “the [League of Vojvodina Social Democrats leader Nenad] Čanak-Democratic Party (DS)-G17 Plus coalition would try and scrap the agreement with Russia tomorrow, as that would be a disastrous decision for Serbia and its citizens.”

However, Minister without Portfolio Dragan Đilas told Beta today that he did not know whether the government would decide to pass the proposal on to parliament at tomorrow’s meeting.

Finance Minister Mirko Cvetković told Radio B92 today that he had heard about the decision via the media.

He said that that proposal would be addressed in line with the Democratic Party’s (DS) agreement with its coalition partners in the government with it whom it would be standing at the forthcoming elections, though he did not want to offer his personal opinion on the matter.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, Lavrov expressed his confidence that the future Serbian parliament would ratify the agreement with Russia, and said that the Duma should ratify it also, without waiting for Belgrade.

Asked why ratification was taking so long by a Duma official, the Russian foreign minister said that Serbia was currently in the middle of an election campaign, and that the government and parliament therefore had “limited authority,” and that it was a question of “purely technical delays.”

“I am convinced that the Serbian parliament will ratify the agreement as soon as it is formed,” Lavrov said.

He also said that he “does not see why the Duma should tie its own time frames for ratification with Serbia’s ratification.”

The Russo-Serbian agreement was signed on January 25, and envisages the construction of a gas pipeline through Serbia, the sale of 51 percent of the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS) to Russian Gazprom, and the creation of a joint company to construct the South Stream pipeline.

The agreement envisages the joint company in question being formed by May 25 at the latest.

Without ratification of the agreement, pipeline construction could be brought into question. The pipeline is vital to Serbia because it is currently receiving gas from only one direction – from Russia, via Ukraine and Hungary.