BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbian oil agency NIS, which is majority-owned by Russia’s Gazprom Neft and Gazprom, has truly despatched an official demand to the united state Treasury Department for a waiver of permissions for 90 days, Serbia’s energy ministry said on Tuesday.
In a declaration, the ministry said that the NIS demand has the help of the Serbian and Hungarian federal governments.
“We urgently request that OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) consider immediate assistance, in the form of a suspension of sanctions for a minimum of 90 days, while a sustainable solution that would lead to the lifting of sanctions is considered,” the declaration said.
It moreover said that NIS’s demand worries getting licenses that would definitely allow it to proceed working whereas an choice to the possession framework and monitoring is regarded for.
“The (Serbian) government … supports the request … because sanctions would impair the company’s ability to supply Serbian citizens with oil and oil derivatives,” the ministry said.
Gazprom Neft and Gazprom have 50% and 6.15% dangers particularly within the agency which runs the one oil refinery in Serbia.
The Serbian federal authorities holds a further 29.87% with little traders making up the remaining.
On Jan 10, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said Russian companies have been supplied 45 days to 45 days to go away their possession in NIS which any kind of provide would definitely must be accepted by OFAC.
On Jan 14, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow touched with Belgrade regarding NIS.
Serbia obtains the vast majority of its petroleum through Croatia’s pipe driver Janaf, whereby Hungary moreover imports a number of of its oil.
NIS, among the many largest elements to Serbia’s state price range plan, had truly licensed an settlement with Janaf for the transportation of 10 million plenty of oil through Croatia fromJan 1, 2024 tillDec 31, 2026.
(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Susan Fenton)
