Djedovic Handanovic: Many companies have switched to other suppliers or are seeking alternatives to NIS

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on Monday the situation regarding the oil company NIS, which is under US sanctions due to its Russian-majority ownership, was becoming increasingly complex and that a large number of businesses had already switched to other suppliers or were seeking alternatives to NIS.

Djedovic Handanovic said the citizens should have no doubt the government would do everything to maintain the stability of supplies and energy stability.

"We held a meeting here at the Presidency of Serbia with President Vucic and the PM, with government ministers and directors of enterprises, we discussed the situation in the crude oil sector - it is becoming increasingly complex. We have kept the public informed, we have never hidden anything, and that is how we will be acting in the future as well. We are aware that problems are being felt by people in the finance sector, that is clear to us. Also, many legal persons have either already switched to new suppliers or are looking for alternatives, that is also very clear to us," Djedovic Handanovic said.

"Let me remind the citizens that today is 60 days since the entry into force of the sanctions, since which time there have been no crude oil supplies to the Pancevo refinery, and that the market has not felt that, that the citizens have not felt that, which is really a great victory for the government in the sense that we have prepared well and also that the citizens have trust in their country," she said.