BELGRADE, December 24. /TASS/. Phone talks that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held on Monday are an example of communication between friendly nations and their representatives, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin said in a statement.

"When Serbia falls on hard times, when our state interests and economy are imperiled, or when Serbs face injustice, we turn to Russia for help and advice. The conversation between President Aleksandar Vucic and Minister Sergey Lavrov is a conversation between friends, who understand each other, and between representatives of nations that respect and love each other, and that share not only the past but also wish to share the future," the official said in the statement. "What bonds us with Russia is not borders or fickle political interests, but timeless values that make us free."

In Monday's talks, Vucic told Lavrov that the US had decided to impose sanctions on the Serbian oil company NIS because it is partly owned by Russia. The officials also spoke about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, and the importance of honoring the Dayton Agreement. According to Vucic, an agreement was reached to hold a meeting of experts from Serbia and Russia immediately after the announcement of the US sanctions on NIS. Additionally, the sides considered all other important issues of bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed "friendship between our countries," the Serbian president said.

Vucic said earlier that the US decision to impose sanctions on NIS in the future will not affect Belgrade's refusal to join anti-Russian restrictions. He said the government will seek to solve the problem in a way that will "preserve friendly relations with the Russians and not spoil relations with those who impose sanctions." NIS told TASS that the company’s operations are not currently subjected to any restrictions, but it is studying all possible scenarios and potential consequences of Washington’s future sanctions, which are expected to kick in starting from January 1, 2025.

The Serbian president tasked the country's government to set up a working group for talks with Russia and the US over Washington's plans to impose sanctions on NIS.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in March described Gazprom Neft, which owns more than 50% of NIS, as Serbia’s largest taxpayer and a very efficient company that does a lot in the field of innovations. In 2023, taxes and other contributions to the country's budget totaled 244.4 billion dinars, or $2.28 billion at the foreign exchange rate on March 12, 2024.

NIS is one of the largest vertically integrated energy systems in South-Eastern Europe. It is engaged in exploration and production of oil and gas, oil refining, marketing of oil products, generation and trading of electricity and implementation of petrochemical projects. The main production facilities are located in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. Gazprom Neft holds 56.15% of NIS, Serbia owns 29.87% and other shareholders 13.98%.