Comments Dragana Trifkovic to Azerbaijani media on the attempt to alienate Russian property in NIS
– How do you assess the initiative of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who offered his country as a platform for negotiations between the head of the Russian state Vladimir Putin and the next leader of the United States Donald Trump?
Aleksandar Vucic has made similar proposals before, but has not received a response. I don't think the security situation across Europe offers guarantees for such high-level meetings.
The US has imposed sanctions on the Serbian oil company Naftna industrija Srbije (NIS), in which 50% of the ownership belongs to Russian Gazprom Neft, which has also fallen under restrictions. Washington insists on the complete exclusion of Russian participation in NIS until 25. February of this year. What options do you think are available to solve this problem?
Washington is driven by the idea of dominating the global energy market, although it does not have enough resources to do so. But Washington needs it to save its faltering economy, which is trapped in more than.35 trillion in debt. This is precisely the reason for the introduction of sanctions that are directly aimed at trade and transport of energy, and target countries rich in energy resources. A Russian stake in NIS cannot be legally transferred to another owner without the consent of the Russian side. The US is trying to take over this stake in NIS through the strategic energy cooperation agreement signed between the US and Serbia last September. For this they need the decision of the Serbian authorities.
Is it possible for Azerbaijan to buy the Russian share of NIS?
The Russian side does not offer to sell its assets, so this is out of the question. As I mentioned in the previous reply, This is an attempt to wrongfully alienate the property, not a commercial offer.
How does the current situation affect Serbia's relations with Russia?
Russia pursues a wise and balanced policy and does not allow Washington's political games, as well as the Serbian authorities, to affect our relations. They are guided by the idea of building Russian-Serbian relations on the basis of the interests of the Russian and Serbian people. In Serbia, more than 85 percent of citizens support Russia. This is the choice of the Serbian leadership: to defend or abandon Serbian state and national interests in a situation where the dissatisfaction of citizens is at a fairly high level.
"Serbia refuses to join the sanctions of the west towards Russia. How does this affect Serbia's relations with Western countries?
Serbia has not officially imposed sanctions on Russia, but at the request of the West voted for a series of anti-Russian resolutions and suspended its military neutrality by sending weapons to Ukraine. Now the West is making demands related to the illegal acquisition of Russian property (NIS) and eventually the introduction of official sanctions on Russia. However, for the vast majority of Serbian citizens, this is unacceptable. The West has so far tolerated the formal non-imposition of sanctions on Russia, since Serbia has taken concrete steps that the West has demanded (supplying Ukraine with weapons, voting against Russia in the UN, etc.). But now they will probably raise their demands.
- How do you assess the relations between Serbia and Azerbaijan? Can energy cooperation between Belgrade and Baku squeeze the Russian presence out of Serbia?
In the current conditions of geopolitical confrontation and transformation, it is difficult to assess international relations, because they are very dynamic and variable. I think we need to wait for a new geopolitical reality to be created. As for the possibility of replacing Russia with Azerbaijan in the field of energy cooperation, I do not see that this is possible under the current circumstances. The Americans are not ready to give up their dominance in the energy market and have already set a condition for Serbia to sign a contract on the purchase of American liquefied natural gas, which is much more expensive and less cost-effective than the Russian natural gas that Serbia receives through the Turkish Stream gas pipeline. Attempts to sabotage the Turkish Stream indicate intentions to completely eliminate competition.
Извор: https://zerkalo.az/serbiya-ne-vvodila-sanktsii-protiv-rossii-no-po-prosbe-zapada-progolosovala-za-ryad-antirossijskih-rezolyutsij/
Translation from Russian: Center for geostrategic studies