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Anti-Russian sanctions

US sanctions against NIS meant to force Serbia to join anti-Russian sanctions — deputy PM

"I believe that we as the government will cope with this wicked plan, preserve the brotherhood, which is older and more valuable than we are, will not make our enemies happy and will not disappoint our friends," Aleksandar Vulin said

BELGRADE, January 10. /TASS/. The United States’ sanctions against Serbia’s oil major NIS (Neftna Industrija Srbije), which will be ruinous for the Serbian economy, are meant to force the country to join the anti-Russian sanctions, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin said.

"The sanctions against NIS will do only symbolic harm to Russia but will be a really ruinous blow on the Serbian economy and state. The attack on NIS is meant to force Serbia to join the anti-Russian sanctions and wreck relations between our countries and peoples once and for all. I believe that we as the government will cope with this wicked plan, preserve the brotherhood, which is older and more valuable than we are, will not make our enemies happy and will not disappoint our friends," he said in a statement released by his press service.

Earlier on Friday, the US Department of the Treasury put Russia’s Gazprom Neft and its CEO Alexander Dyukov, as well as more than 20 its subsidiary structures engaged in the production, refining and selling hydrocarbons, with NIS being among them, on its sanctions list. Commenting on this move, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that by blacklisting Gazprom Neft and Gazprom assets, Washington is seeking to push Serbia to withdraw Russian capital from the company.

Earlier, Vucic said he would request a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 25-27 to discuss this situation and pledged that the sanctions against the Serbian company due to Russia holding a stake in it will not make Belgrade change its position on the anti-Russian restrictions.

NIS is one of southeastern Europe’s largest vertically integrated energy systems. Its activities include prospecting for and production of oil and gas, oil refining, selling oil products, generating and selling electricity, implementing petrochemical projects. Its production facilities are located in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. Its majority stakeholders are Gazprom Neft (50%), Serbia (29.87%), and Gazprom (6.15%).

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Sanctions vs. Russia United States Serbia

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