BELGRADE, December 1. /TASS/. Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandr Vucic has described as bad news Russia’s decision to curtail the South Stream gas pipeline project, the Serbian television channel RTS said on Tuesday.

“Serbia has been investing in this project for seven years, but now it has to pay the price of a clash between the great (powers),” the RTS quotes him as saying. Vucic would like to discuss this issue with Russian President Vladimir and other Russian officials upon his return from the session of the UN Security Council in New York.

On Monday evening Serbian Energy and Mining Industry Minister Aleksandr Antic said in the wake of the news Moscow was going to stop the project due to the European Union’s stance, that Serbia had not yet received any official notification from Russia’s Gazprom regarding any changes to the project for. He said the Russian president’s statement the project has been halted was regarded in Serbia as a message addressed in the first place to the EU members on which the gas pipeline’s construction depends heavily.

Antic said that for the project to materialize there should be coordination between Brussels and Moscow. He voiced the hope that all outstanding issues will be resolved through talks and the parties will be able to clinch a deal.

“Of course, this project is of exclusive importance to the energy security of our country. Also, it is crucial to the employment of a considerable share of our construction industry, but regrettably we have no leverage to influence the pipeline’s future,” Antic said.