BELGRADE, October 10. /TASS/. JANAF, the Croatian operator of the Adriatic oil pipeline, is interested in acquiring Russia's 20-25% stake in Neftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), Croatian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Ante Susnjar told the Serbian portal Nova.
"JANAF is interested in acquiring a 20-25% stake in Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) primarily to protect its business interests... It is about the Russian partner's stake in NIS. That's why we're talking about all this, because they're under sanctions. Not because of the Republic of Serbia and its stake in NIS, but because of their Russian partners," Susnjar said.
The Croatian minister noted, Zagreb has not yet negotiated the acquisition of the Russian stake in NIS through either official or informal channels. He also said that he doesn't know whether Moscow will okay the deal.
In early January 2025, the US Department of the Treasury introduced sanctions against Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft, its CEO Alexander Dyukov, and against Serbian NIS. The US has repeatedly postponed sanctions against the company since then. Restrictions came into force on October 9. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated on Thursday that he does not blame Russia for the sanctions against NIS and called on Moscow to find a joint solution to this problem.
NIS is one of the largest vertically integrated energy systems in Southeastern Europe. Its main production facilities are located in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. The majority shareholders are Gazprom Neft (44.85%), Serbia (29.87%), Gazprom Capital (11.3%).
The Adriatic oil pipeline connects the Omisalj port terminal on the Croatian island of Krk in the Adriatic Sea with Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Serbia. As Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic previously stated, it supplies Serbia with 95% of its oil consumption. He also said that Zagreb is counting on changes in the NIS ownership structure to remove it from US sanctions and continue cooperation with JANAF.