Vucic Plans To Focus On Gas Price, Increased Supplies At Talks With Putin

Aleksandar Vucic plans to discuss the gas price and increased supplies with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vucic said in an exclusive interview with the YouTube channel SolovyevLive on Saturday.

"This time we will have plenty of practical issues to touch upon. In addition to political issues, I can say something, and I also leave something for the one-on-one conversation. I would say that the top issue here, in Serbia is gas," Vici said.

"I am convinced that we will find a solution to three things related to gas. They are the price of gas and its amount, as we need more and more gas. we are spending more and more. if we used to spend 1.1 billion cubic meters of gas, now we use 2.7 [bln]. We should reach an agreement on increased gas supplies, as our economy is the fastest growing in Europe," he said.

Vucic said that Putin had always shown an understanding of Serbia’s dire circumstances.

"I hope that this time he will also understand us in regard to the gas price and amounts of supply," he added.

On October 7, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said at a meeting of the Russian-Serbian intergovernmental committee that he hoped a long-term contract for Russian gas supplies to Serbia would be inked by the end of 2021.

Serbia is ready to continue implementing interconnector pipeline projects with the Russian gas holding Gazprom, President Vucic said.

"I want that people in Russia know that Serbia successfully resisted pressure and we have never been a problem: neither when the South Stream was built [the project was not implemented] nor when the TurkStream and the Balkan Stream were built. We constructed the 400-km long gas pipeline together with Gazprom and gas is already flowing now over the gas pipeline. We are ready to continue expansion of interconnectors of this gas pipeline [the TurkStream gas pipeline] in the region," Vucic said

Serbia is the only European country that has never introduced any sanctions or measures against Russia, Vucic said. "We have never allowed ourselves anything that can influence on our relations with Russia," the President of Serbia added.

On January 1, Vucic gave a start to operation of the Balkan Stream gas pipeline. The segment in Serbia is the extension of the TurkStream main gas pipeline delivering Russian gas.