Gas and Serbia: Is Moscow worried, what does U.S. say
The prime minister says solutions are sought in the interest of citizens, not of great powers, while the presidency says "Moscow doesn't mind."
Source: B92
Close the entire text of the article here
Can Serbia resist pressures from great powers in the energy sector? This question has been posed for a long time. The prime minister believes it can. The intention of Serbia to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, by joining the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan which has the backing of the U.S., does not mean turning its back to Russia, but concern for the citizens of Serbia.
"If someone thinks that I should swear to someone and say 'we love you the most in the world, so we will from you...' I swore on the Constitution, I swore before the flag and I am responsible to citizens, and not to any other force," said Vucic.
The new energy policy, but also the prime minister's trip to the U.S., Moscow will not mind, claims advisor of the Serbian president Ivan Mrkic.
"We would feel it, we would know it, some Russian representative, even at a lower level, would say something. We never heard anything. We are not guided by anyone's reactions, but only by our own assessments and interests and it meet with understanding and approval. We have no worries," Mrkic told B92.
It is clear that Serbia has friends in the East and the West, said U.S. Ambassador Michael Kirby. On Wednesday, when Vucic meets with U.S. Vice President Biden, there will also be unpleasant topics for Serbia, such as the murder of the Bytyqi brothers.
"It is always a topic, Mr. Vucic knows that, Mr. Dacic knew it as well. Also, the burning of our embassy in 2008 is a topic, no one has been convicted for it. We have a lot of topics, there is energy, your path towards the EU, Kosovo, cooperation between the two armies," said Kirby.
In such an atmosphere the first Serbian Diplomacy Day has been marked, with a clear message that the future is in the European Union.
"We cannot afford romantic dreams to be the East's West, the West's East," said Dacic.
Serbia needs to maintain relations with the whole world, to be respected by everyone, but feared by no one, was the message of the minister of foreign affairs.
Casual Onlooker is incapable of addressing either the facts or the arguments supplied, so he turns to broad brush ad hominem attacks against everyone who's opinion or analysis doesn't agree with his own naive one - 'Casual' indeed!.
(EU Dude, 2 June 2015 15:36)
Unpleasant topics will be discussed with the arrival of American Vice President Joe Biden? Holy cow, I wonder if unpleasant topics such as who is the Board of Directors of gas in the Ukraine, hence the conflict with Russia or the "collateral damage" of Serbia from bombings or American companies running wild from Trepca mines and elsewhere and on and on and on. You get the point. There is a reason why Serbia needs to be dependent on American gas, and the vice president is coming Wednesday to ensure the little Balkan people called the Serbs behave. Follow the paper trail. On that note have a blessed Memorial Saturday.
(Ilija, 30 May 2015 20:23)
If Serbia truly would like to cut it's reliance on foreign oil, it should seek Japanese assistance in building a domestic car which uses near-zero fuel hybrid technologies.
(The voice of Reason, 30 May 2015 16:15)
Unfortunately, the fear in your voices and your clearly false assumptions lead me to believe you are in a state of panic concerning Serbia. If you had your wits about you, a more realistic argument could have been made. However, as with most people that have emotional feelings toward their country, you, predictably, express your deep seeded desires in place of facts. What you are witnessing is the sad end game for Serbia. She supported the wrong powers at the wrong time and, consequently, will pay dearly for her mistakes.
(Casual Onlooker, 30 May 2015 05:06)
TAP - Transexual Adriatic Pipeline goes from EAST to WEST. Do you understand that bit?
Right, TESLA/ex South Stream/whatever goes SOUTH to NORTH. Get it?
Serbia/Macedonia/Bosnia etc. still need to be served by a pipeline and only a complete S/N one makes sense, not some nebulous East Ring Romanian/Bulgaria pipeline that would take a long and expensive circuitous rout. Transit fees and shit people...
There is no contradiction in having TAP & TESLA. First and foremost, there needs to be sufficient capacity and supply, Turkish Stream@63bcm and fully supplied. TAP depends on the biggest dictator (and friend of the West, Aliev in Azerbaijan who of course would not 'use energy as a weapon') and cannot supply equivalent gas volumes from the Shah Deniz field anywhere near as soon as the Russian option.
Not only that, but the EC has given TAP an exemption from the EU's Third Energy Package, the same one that it insists Russia must follow.
If you really want f/k ups, just leave it to my ever reliable neighbors in the EP and EC. BTW, on Wednesday, the center of Europe (Brussels, innit?) stopped all flights because Belgocontrol lost its electricity supply and all radars stopped functioning. Welcome to U-Rope! All you migrants can come and dig through our trash outside supermarkets in competition with the locals...
(EU Dude, 29 May 2015 22:01)
Reconcile yourself with Turkey or get eaten by the wolves. Chose, if you prefer a Russian or American wolf. Turkey is equally hated by Russia and the West. Turkey is in their crosshairs and one step away from destruction. Turkey needs an ally in the Balkans desperately and Serbia needs a gateway out this Europe desperately.
(svabo, 29 May 2015 20:58)
Reconcile yourself with Turkey or get eaten by the wolves. Chose, if you prefer a Russian or American wolf. Turkey is equally hated by Russia and the West. Turkey is in their crosshairs and one step away from destruction. Turkey needs an ally in the Balkans desperately and Serbia needs a gateway out this Europe desperately.
(svabo, 29 May 2015 20:58)
TAP - Transexual Adriatic Pipeline goes from EAST to WEST. Do you understand that bit?
Right, TESLA/ex South Stream/whatever goes SOUTH to NORTH. Get it?
Serbia/Macedonia/Bosnia etc. still need to be served by a pipeline and only a complete S/N one makes sense, not some nebulous East Ring Romanian/Bulgaria pipeline that would take a long and expensive circuitous rout. Transit fees and shit people...
There is no contradiction in having TAP & TESLA. First and foremost, there needs to be sufficient capacity and supply, Turkish Stream@63bcm and fully supplied. TAP depends on the biggest dictator (and friend of the West, Aliev in Azerbaijan who of course would not 'use energy as a weapon') and cannot supply equivalent gas volumes from the Shah Deniz field anywhere near as soon as the Russian option.
Not only that, but the EC has given TAP an exemption from the EU's Third Energy Package, the same one that it insists Russia must follow.
If you really want f/k ups, just leave it to my ever reliable neighbors in the EP and EC. BTW, on Wednesday, the center of Europe (Brussels, innit?) stopped all flights because Belgocontrol lost its electricity supply and all radars stopped functioning. Welcome to U-Rope! All you migrants can come and dig through our trash outside supermarkets in competition with the locals...
(EU Dude, 29 May 2015 22:01)
Unfortunately, the fear in your voices and your clearly false assumptions lead me to believe you are in a state of panic concerning Serbia. If you had your wits about you, a more realistic argument could have been made. However, as with most people that have emotional feelings toward their country, you, predictably, express your deep seeded desires in place of facts. What you are witnessing is the sad end game for Serbia. She supported the wrong powers at the wrong time and, consequently, will pay dearly for her mistakes.
(Casual Onlooker, 30 May 2015 05:06)
Unpleasant topics will be discussed with the arrival of American Vice President Joe Biden? Holy cow, I wonder if unpleasant topics such as who is the Board of Directors of gas in the Ukraine, hence the conflict with Russia or the "collateral damage" of Serbia from bombings or American companies running wild from Trepca mines and elsewhere and on and on and on. You get the point. There is a reason why Serbia needs to be dependent on American gas, and the vice president is coming Wednesday to ensure the little Balkan people called the Serbs behave. Follow the paper trail. On that note have a blessed Memorial Saturday.
(Ilija, 30 May 2015 20:23)
If Serbia truly would like to cut it's reliance on foreign oil, it should seek Japanese assistance in building a domestic car which uses near-zero fuel hybrid technologies.
(The voice of Reason, 30 May 2015 16:15)
Casual Onlooker is incapable of addressing either the facts or the arguments supplied, so he turns to broad brush ad hominem attacks against everyone who's opinion or analysis doesn't agree with his own naive one - 'Casual' indeed!.
(EU Dude, 2 June 2015 15:36)
TAP - Transexual Adriatic Pipeline goes from EAST to WEST. Do you understand that bit?
Right, TESLA/ex South Stream/whatever goes SOUTH to NORTH. Get it?
Serbia/Macedonia/Bosnia etc. still need to be served by a pipeline and only a complete S/N one makes sense, not some nebulous East Ring Romanian/Bulgaria pipeline that would take a long and expensive circuitous rout. Transit fees and shit people...
There is no contradiction in having TAP & TESLA. First and foremost, there needs to be sufficient capacity and supply, Turkish Stream@63bcm and fully supplied. TAP depends on the biggest dictator (and friend of the West, Aliev in Azerbaijan who of course would not 'use energy as a weapon') and cannot supply equivalent gas volumes from the Shah Deniz field anywhere near as soon as the Russian option.
Not only that, but the EC has given TAP an exemption from the EU's Third Energy Package, the same one that it insists Russia must follow.
If you really want f/k ups, just leave it to my ever reliable neighbors in the EP and EC. BTW, on Wednesday, the center of Europe (Brussels, innit?) stopped all flights because Belgocontrol lost its electricity supply and all radars stopped functioning. Welcome to U-Rope! All you migrants can come and dig through our trash outside supermarkets in competition with the locals...
(EU Dude, 29 May 2015 22:01)
Reconcile yourself with Turkey or get eaten by the wolves. Chose, if you prefer a Russian or American wolf. Turkey is equally hated by Russia and the West. Turkey is in their crosshairs and one step away from destruction. Turkey needs an ally in the Balkans desperately and Serbia needs a gateway out this Europe desperately.
(svabo, 29 May 2015 20:58)
If Serbia truly would like to cut it's reliance on foreign oil, it should seek Japanese assistance in building a domestic car which uses near-zero fuel hybrid technologies.
(The voice of Reason, 30 May 2015 16:15)
Unfortunately, the fear in your voices and your clearly false assumptions lead me to believe you are in a state of panic concerning Serbia. If you had your wits about you, a more realistic argument could have been made. However, as with most people that have emotional feelings toward their country, you, predictably, express your deep seeded desires in place of facts. What you are witnessing is the sad end game for Serbia. She supported the wrong powers at the wrong time and, consequently, will pay dearly for her mistakes.
(Casual Onlooker, 30 May 2015 05:06)
Unpleasant topics will be discussed with the arrival of American Vice President Joe Biden? Holy cow, I wonder if unpleasant topics such as who is the Board of Directors of gas in the Ukraine, hence the conflict with Russia or the "collateral damage" of Serbia from bombings or American companies running wild from Trepca mines and elsewhere and on and on and on. You get the point. There is a reason why Serbia needs to be dependent on American gas, and the vice president is coming Wednesday to ensure the little Balkan people called the Serbs behave. Follow the paper trail. On that note have a blessed Memorial Saturday.
(Ilija, 30 May 2015 20:23)
Casual Onlooker is incapable of addressing either the facts or the arguments supplied, so he turns to broad brush ad hominem attacks against everyone who's opinion or analysis doesn't agree with his own naive one - 'Casual' indeed!.
(EU Dude, 2 June 2015 15:36)