Russo-Serbian deal in late December

First Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic says that the energy agreement between Russia and Serbia would be "coordinated by December 20". Dacic, who is heading the Serbian delegation in the two-day meetings of the Mixed Committee on economic cooperation in Moscow, told Tanjug news agency that the last deadline for the signing of the contracts will be "the end of the year, if Serbia receives strong guarantees from Russia that the bilateral agreement would be observed in all three of its parts". Russo-Serbian deal in late December Dacic explained that this means guarantees from the Russian side that the sale of NIS would be followed by the construction of a gas pipeline through the Serbian territory and modernization and enlargement of the facility in Banatski Dvor. Dacic, who is also the interior minister in the Cvetkovic cabinet, said after a meeting with Russian Minister of Emergency Situations and co-chairman of the Mixed Committee Sergei Shoigu and Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev that the Serbian delegation had not discussed the signing of the agreement at today's session. The signing of the agreement on the sale of NIS was not discussed or planned; instead, it was envisaged to review on the top political level whether Russia remains true to the agreement reached at the beginning of negotiations," Dacic said. He added that the key issue for Serbia was whether the oil and gas arrangement included an earlier agreement that the sale of NIS would be followed by the construction of the gas pipeline through Serbia and Banatski Dvor works. Dacic said that Shoigu and he had agreed that the energy agreement consist of these three parts and that the Russian co-chairman of the Mixed Committee had reiterated Moscow's strong guarantees that all three segments of the deal would be realized. The deputy PM also said he expected this to become a part of the protocol that should be signed on Tuesday. Ahead of his trip to Moscow, Dacic told B92 that the committee does not have the authority to sign this agreement, adding that he expects its realization to begin in December if an agreement on the deal is reached. He is in Moscow with ministers Milutin Mrkonjic and Petar Skundric, with one of the main topics of discussion being the realization of the energy agreement, singed in January this year, and later ratified in the Serbian parliament. Now the three contracts, on the sale on NIS, construction of South Stream, and that of the Banatski Dvor underground gas storage facility, must also be signed. “One question that is very important is whether we are sticking to the goal of that arrangement, which means a gas pipeline, the sale of NIS, and the Banatski Dvor storage,” Dacic said. “If a general political agreement is reached with Moscow and if Serbia and Russia are prepared to respect what was agreed on, for the arrangement to be fully implemented, then that agreement will occur very quickly, I think in December,” Dacic said. Analyst and editor-in-chief of Balkan magazine Jelica Putnikovic said that the sale of NIS to the Russia "should not include just the condition of building the South Stream gas pipeline and the Banatski Dvor storage facility", adding that Serbia should give even more conditions. “A deadline for the construction of the pipeline must be insisted on, and there must be talk of what Russia, or Gazprom, exactly plans on doing with NIS,” she said. “Not only to take over NIS and it to vegetate, it must be said strictly that the regulation prohibiting importing derivatives expires in 2010 and that NIS refineries in Pancevo and Novi Sad must be producing fuel of European quality by then,” Putnikovic said. But Dacic, the co-president of the committee, said that the gas deal will not be the only topic of discussion in Moscow today. “There will also be talks on the trade liberalization, in other words, that agreement must be expanded to products that are very important to us, and it is important that Serbia becomes a conjunction between Russia and the European Union,” Dacic said. “We will discuss the agreement which was earlier reached with Russia for it to participate in the reconstruction of the Djerdap hydro power plant, and some other issues as well,” the minister said. Putnikovic commented on this by saying that Serbia expects to be able to export cars which it produces in Kragujevac without customs charges. “Now it is a question of whether Russia, which is also being hit by the economic crisis, will allow Italian Fiat cars, assembled in Serbia, to be sold without import charges,” she said. “That is a double-edged sword, maybe there should be an effort for other products from Serbia to be placed on that market instead of something we still do not have, because there is the question of when Fiat will begin producing these cars in Kragujevac,” Putnikovic said. Serbia mostly exports agricultural and food products, medicine and confectionery to Russia. The meeting in Moscow on Monday (Tanjug)

Russo-Serbian deal in late December

Dačić explained that this means guarantees from the Russian side that the sale of NIS would be followed by the construction of a gas pipeline through the Serbian territory and modernization and enlargement of the facility in Banatski Dvor.

Dačić, who is also the interior minister in the Cvetković cabinet, said after a meeting with Russian Minister of Emergency Situations and co-chairman of the Mixed Committee Sergei Shoigu and Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev that the Serbian delegation had not discussed the signing of the agreement at today's session.

The signing of the agreement on the sale of NIS was not discussed or planned; instead, it was envisaged to review on the top political level whether Russia remains true to the agreement reached at the beginning of negotiations," Dačić said.

He added that the key issue for Serbia was whether the oil and gas arrangement included an earlier agreement that the sale of NIS would be followed by the construction of the gas pipeline through Serbia and Banatski Dvor works.

Dačić said that Shoigu and he had agreed that the energy agreement consist of these three parts and that the Russian co-chairman of the Mixed Committee had reiterated Moscow's strong guarantees that all three segments of the deal would be realized.

The deputy PM also said he expected this to become a part of the protocol that should be signed on Tuesday.

Ahead of his trip to Moscow, Dačić told B92 that the committee does not have the authority to sign this agreement, adding that he expects its realization to begin in December if an agreement on the deal is reached.

He is in Moscow with ministers Milutin Mrkonjić and Petar Škundrić, with one of the main topics of discussion being the realization of the energy agreement, singed in January this year, and later ratified in the Serbian parliament.

Now the three contracts, on the sale on NIS, construction of South Stream, and that of the Banatski Dvor underground gas storage facility, must also be signed.

“One question that is very important is whether we are sticking to the goal of that arrangement, which means a gas pipeline, the sale of NIS, and the Banatski Dvor storage,” Dačić said.

“If a general political agreement is reached with Moscow and if Serbia and Russia are prepared to respect what was agreed on, for the arrangement to be fully implemented, then that agreement will occur very quickly, I think in December,” Dačić said.

Analyst and editor-in-chief of Balkan magazine Jelica Putniković said that the sale of NIS to the Russia "should not include just the condition of building the South Stream gas pipeline and the Banatski Dvor storage facility", adding that Serbia should give even more conditions.

“A deadline for the construction of the pipeline must be insisted on, and there must be talk of what Russia, or Gazprom, exactly plans on doing with NIS,” she said.

“Not only to take over NIS and it to vegetate, it must be said strictly that the regulation prohibiting importing derivatives expires in 2010 and that NIS refineries in Pančevo and Novi Sad must be producing fuel of European quality by then,” Putniković said.

But Dačić, the co-president of the committee, said that the gas deal will not be the only topic of discussion in Moscow today.

“There will also be talks on the trade liberalization, in other words, that agreement must be expanded to products that are very important to us, and it is important that Serbia becomes a conjunction between Russia and the European Union,” Dačić said.

“We will discuss the agreement which was earlier reached with Russia for it to participate in the reconstruction of the Đerdap hydro power plant, and some other issues as well,” the minister said.

Putniković commented on this by saying that Serbia expects to be able to export cars which it produces in Kragujevac without customs charges.

“Now it is a question of whether Russia, which is also being hit by the economic crisis, will allow Italian Fiat cars, assembled in Serbia, to be sold without import charges,” she said.

“That is a double-edged sword, maybe there should be an effort for other products from Serbia to be placed on that market instead of something we still do not have, because there is the question of when Fiat will begin producing these cars in Kragujevac,” Putniković said.

Serbia mostly exports agricultural and food products, medicine and confectionery to Russia.