Vucic: Fuel reserves to last until end-January, energy stability team to meet daily

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday Serbia had no problems with fuel or oil derivative supplies and that reserves would last until end-January, and announced that a team responsible for energy stability in the country would meet daily and keep informing the public of developments every two days.

"In any case, there is no panic when it comes to fuels and oil derivatives," Vucic said in an address from the Presidency of Serbia, but noted that the present situation would jeopardise Serbia's economic growth rate. He said Serbia's diesel and petrol reserves - not including NIS reserves - were sufficient and would last until the end of January, and added that diesel reserves were currently at over 204,000 t.

The oil company NIS is under US sanctions due its Russian-majority ownership.

Vucic also said the Croatian oil pipeline company JANAF had refused to allow Serbia to import crude oil that was not intended for the NIS refinery in Pancevo, but for mandatory and commodity reserves. He noted that Serbia had offered guarantees to both JANAF and the US side that their observers would be able to verify the destination of imported oil, but that JANAF had refused "to believe that we will not give that to NIS."

Vucic: No positive US decision on NIS, permission to shut down refinery granted

BELGRADE - In a statement after a meeting with the teams in charge of energy security and stability in the country, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said there was no positive US decision on a new operating licence for the oil company NIS and that Serbia had granted the permission to shut down the Pancevo oil refinery.

NIS is under US sanctions due to its Russian-majority ownership.

Vucic said the minister of mining and energy would on Tuesday inform NIS there was no indication the US would give the company an operating licence and added that this would result in a halt of operations at the refinery.

"Citizens of Serbia, we have no good news for you when it comes to progress on the NIS issue," he said.

"We expected to get a licence from the US government for continued oil supplies to our refinery in Pancevo..., ...but we have not received a positive decision from the US," Vucic said at the Presidency of Serbia.

He noted that he was disappointed and surprised as he did not see what was there to be gained for the US.

"I tried to step into their shoes and analyse what exactly they are doing, and I must admit I did not quite understand it," Vucic said.

"We have to accept that as a fact. Unequivocally, the Russians do not want to sell and are not keen on selling. There is no doubt. This is not about money, but about politics. And logically, they are entitled to that. They are the owners. The fact that we are having much trouble with that is another matter. Just like the Americans are not really interested in anything other than their geopolitical interests. Again, it is not about some large amounts of money. For now, Serbia is the only one suffering. We will see how it will be in the future," Vucic said.