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Serbia, a candidate for EU membership, maintains close ties with Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since late February. On Sunday, Belgrade obtained a favorable agreement for the supply of Russian gas for three years, in contrast to the EU’s sanctions policy.
At a time when the Europeans are trying to isolate Russia and divest itself of its fossil fuels, Serbia maintains a close relationship with Moscow through a deal on Russian gas.
Belgrade has been a candidate for membership of the European Union (EU) for ten years, while maintaining close ties with the Kremlin. Although Serbia has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the UN, it refuses to align itself with sanctions against Moscow.
The Balkan country of seven million inhabitants has reached a “very favorable” agreement for the supply of Russian gas for three years, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Sunday after a telephone exchange with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin limited itself to saying that Moscow “will continue to supply natural gas to Serbia without interruption”, but the Serbian head of state assured that it was “by far the best agreement in Europe”.
“We will have a secure winter for gas supply,” he argued, predicting the bill would be 10 to 12 times lower than elsewhere in Europe.
European countries agreed this week to ban two-thirds of Russia’s oil imports to limit funding for the war.
The bloc also wants to reduce its dependence on gas. Moscow has cut off gas supplies to several European countries, but the prospect of a full embargo on this energy source seems more remote.
“Flexible agreements or political concessions”
Brussels condemned the gas deal with Moscow, saying it hoped Serbia would not “further strengthen its ties with Russia”.
“The candidate countries, including Serbia, must progressively align their policies towards third countries with the EU’s policies and positions, including with restrictive measures,” European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said.
Officially, Belgrade considers the European objective a priority, but avoids any hostile measures against Russia. Pro-government media outlets repeat messages defending the Kremlin’s strategic considerations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to arrive in Belgrade early next week, according to Russian diplomacy. He recently told Serbian journalists that Russia was “sure” that his country “will continue to make smart decisions.”
Serbian officials accuse the West of pressuring Belgrade to join the sanctions. Some are even talking about abandoning their EU candidacy.
“It’s as if they have spent the last decade preparing society, not for EU membership, but for an alliance with Moscow,” Srdjan Cvijic of the Balkans in Europe Political Advisory Group (BiEPAG) said in an interview. the AFP agency.
Details of this deal have not been disclosed. But “there is always a ‘sisterhood clause’ inherent in favorable prices, which is not in the contract but leads to flexible agreements or political concessions,” says Goran Vasic, an energy specialist at the University of Novi Sad.
Monopoly
The Serbian authorities deny that the supply of gas at friendly prices can be considered a “reward”.
“All those who accuse us of not imposing sanctions on Russia over a gas deal should be ashamed,” Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said. “If we do not impose sanctions on Russia it is out of principle.”
Belgrade thanks Russia for refusing to recognize the independence of Kosovo, its former province, and points to its historical and cultural links with the Russian “big brother”.
But Serbia has little room for manoeuvre: the previous Russian gas supply contract – also with preferential rates – was about to expire, with no viable solution for Belgrade in the near future.
Over the last few decades, Serbia has been giving Moscow a virtual monopoly over its energy sector by building pipelines just for Russian gas.
In 2008, the year Kosovo declared independence, it sold a majority stake in its oil and gas company ‘NIS’ to Russian giant ‘Gazprom’, a move widely seen as the price paid for Moscow’s veto of the former province. Serbia by the UN.
“It is obvious that during all this time we have had a well-organized lobby that defended the monopoly, and continues to do so,” added Goran Vasic.
*With AFP; adapted from its French version
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