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Serbia seeks to ink gas contract with Russia without delay, Vucic says

It is disadvantageous for our country to pay in rubles, Aleksandar Vucic said

BELGADE, March 26. /TASS/. Serbia is interested in signing a long-term gas contract with Russia as soon as possible, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday.

"It is disadvantageous for our country to pay in rubles. [Russian presidential press secretary] Dmitry Peskov was honest with us and responded immediately. Europe consumes around 15 billion cubic meters of gas, but America and Qatar cannot offer more. There is a shortage of gas and it is necessary to hold negotiating with the Russians. But, obviously, Europe will try to become independent from Russian gas and it will not be an easy task. It is necessary for us to sign a contract with Gazprom as soon as possible, he said in an interview with the RTS television channel.

Negotiations on a ten-year gas contract between Serbia and Russia are expected to kick off in the near future and Serbia hopes for a gas price from 600 to 850 US dollars per 1,000 cubic meters, Dusan Bajatovic, Serbijagas director general, said earlier.

President Vucic said earlier that at the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin he did not want to sign a gas contract setting the price at 400 US dollars per 1,000 cubic meters but now he would rush to do it.

Following Putin’s talks with Vucic in Sochi on November 25, Russia agreed to keep the gas price for Serbia at 270 US dollars per 1,000 cubic meters in the next six months. Further on, Russia promised to offer Serbia "exclusive," as Vucic described them, terms under a long-term contract.

Since January 1, Gazprom has been using a new route to pump gas to Serbia - via Turk Stream and further on across Turkey and Bulgaria.

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