Djedovic Handanovic: Serbia has written to US in support of NIS licence request

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on Wednesday the Serbian government had sent a letter to the US administration in support of a request for an extension of an operating licence for the Serbian oil company NIS, as well as a potential transaction between Hungary's MOL and Gazprom neft, the majority owner of NIS, and that Washington's response was due by the end of the week.

"MOL sent its letter yesterday evening at around 7 pm, while we sent ours at around 11 pm, which is around 5 pm Washington time. So, it was received during office hours, and now the US administration has Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and, potentially, Friday, to review the requests," Djedovic Handanovic told Prva TV.

Once an agreement between MOL and Gazprom neft was confirmed on Sunday at around 10 pm - after Serbia also reached an agreement with MOL on the same evening - the process of writing letters and sending them to the US administration began, she said.

"NIS was the first to do it. Already during the night between Sunday and Monday, NIS sent its letter," the minister added.

She said a decision by the US administration was still pending but expected to arrive by the end of the week.

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