NIS will spread its business at “surprising speed”

BRUSSELS Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS) CEO Kirill Kravchenko says NIS will spread its business across the Western Balkans at a speed that will be surprising to many. He also vowed that Russia’s Gazprom Neft, NIS’ majority owner, would do business “outside politics” and support Serbia’s EU integration. NIS will spread its business at “surprising speed” He told EurActiv that NIS would invest up to EUR 3bn in the following years, noting it was important to attract additional investments. “We want to help the region recover and solve other problems that have to do with the economy. This will not be easy. There will be a lot of work but there is such capacity that makes the region one of the best for future development,” Kravchenko said. He explained that NIS business network continued to spread in the countries of the region through search of oil and natural gas reserves in the Republic of Srpska (RS) and construction of a gas station network across Bosnia-Herzegovina. When asked whether Gazprom was Russia’s gas export monopoly and if Russia wanted the EU enlargement to continue, the NIS CEO said: “But we are outside politics. There is an official strategy of NIS, which has been approved by all shareholders, including Gazprom Neft, and this strategy commits us to provide maximum assistance to Serbia’s EU integration. Business is dictating its conditions. We need new clients, we need new partners”. “Geographically, it’s clear that Serbia is part of Europe. And it’s normal that Serbia should have relations with other countries. Serbia is culturally close to Russia, but it also builds constructive relations with China, with the U.S., with the Middle East,” Kravchenko added. When asked about Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Aleksandr Chepurin’s recent visit to northern Kosovo, where he said “the EU cannot solve your problems, stick with Russia” and if he had been instructed to keep Serbia away from EU, he said: “Firstly, no, I haven’t. Secondly, that would contradict our economic interests. For shareholders and for the company in general it’s of vital interest to develop ties with the EU countries and the Union as a whole.” Kirill Kravchenko (Tanjug, file) B92 Tanjug

NIS will spread its business at “surprising speed”

He told EurActiv that NIS would invest up to EUR 3bn in the following years, noting it was important to attract additional investments.

“We want to help the region recover and solve other problems that have to do with the economy. This will not be easy. There will be a lot of work but there is such capacity that makes the region one of the best for future development,” Kravchenko said.

He explained that NIS business network continued to spread in the countries of the region through search of oil and natural gas reserves in the Republic of Srpska (RS) and construction of a gas station network across Bosnia-Herzegovina.

When asked whether Gazprom was Russia’s gas export monopoly and if Russia wanted the EU enlargement to continue, the NIS CEO said:

“But we are outside politics. There is an official strategy of NIS, which has been approved by all shareholders, including Gazprom Neft, and this strategy commits us to provide maximum assistance to Serbia’s EU integration. Business is dictating its conditions. We need new clients, we need new partners”.

“Geographically, it’s clear that Serbia is part of Europe. And it’s normal that Serbia should have relations with other countries. Serbia is culturally close to Russia, but it also builds constructive relations with China, with the U.S., with the Middle East,” Kravchenko added.

When asked about Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Aleksandr Chepurin’s recent visit to northern Kosovo, where he said “the EU cannot solve your problems, stick with Russia” and if he had been instructed to keep Serbia away from EU, he said:

“Firstly, no, I haven’t. Secondly, that would contradict our economic interests. For shareholders and for the company in general it’s of vital interest to develop ties with the EU countries and the Union as a whole.”