"Russian partners promise safe gas supply"

"Russian partners promise safe gas supply"

"We received a promise that the Russian side would do everything, and they are already taking steps so Serbia gets a stable gas supply in accordance with the long-term contract we have with Gazprom," he told reporters.

The promise that the Russian side will do everything to ensure Serbia gets a stable supply of gas during the winter has also been included in an official document drafted by the two countries' intergovernmental committee on trade, which met in Moscow recently, he noted.

"That is such good news for the Serbian people and government," he stated, adding that it was particularlly important because Serbia's energy sector was still suffering from the spring floods.

The meetings in Moscow included also discussions about a joint review of the strategic development of the oil company NIS, whose majority owner is Gazprom, and about Serbia's view that NIS should focus on the completion of the investment cycle in Serbia, Antić pointed out.

The decision on which technology should be installed at the Pancevo refinery should be made and the investment started, the minister underscored.

South Stream

Serbia will be part of the solution and agreement that is necessary regarding the completion of the South Stream gas pipeline project, Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antić said on Thursday.

"Our position remains the same, that it is an energy project involving 6 countries that are also EU members, and Serbia will definitely be part of the solution and agreement that is necessary when it comes to South Stream," he told reporters in Belgrade.

"Our part of the contract on the construction of South Stream is better than many signed by the countries that are involved in the project," he said after returning from Moscow.

The European Commission feels the project should follow EU directives, he noted.

The latest European Commission report on Serbia's progress in EU integration states that there has been progress in the energy sectory, but the document has several points that require analysis, one of them being the restructuring of the company Srbijagas, Antić stressed.

The basic premises for the company's restructuring have already been agreed with the Energy Community, he stated, adding that he expected the Serbian government to adopt a plan for the restructuring very soon, and that it would be in line with the EU's second and third energy packages.

Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić said on Wednesday the European Commission report on Serbia's progress mentioned South Stream, emphasising that the fate of the project depended on the EU and Russia reaching an agreement.

When it comes to the project, the report says it is important that Serbia bring its legislation and actions in line with EU standards, Vučić remarked, adding that nothing was up to Serbia, but to an agreement between the EU and Russia.