BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st October, 2018) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Sputnik on Tuesday that he expected many important agreements related to the Russian-Serbian economy, energy, infrastructure, and policy cooperation to be signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Belgrade in mid-January 2019.
On October 12, Vucic's administration said in a statement that Putin was expected to pay a visit to Serbia in January and that an agreement had been reached with Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Chepurin to begin preparations for the visit, which would reaffirm the Serbian-Russian traditional friendship and fraternity. On Tuesday, Vucic confirmed that the visit would be held in mid-January,
"I expect many important things and many important agreements to be reached, most importantly, in such spheres as the economy, energy and infrastructure, and in politics as well, I'm sure," Vucic told Sputnik.
Vucic went on to say that Serbia was "100 percent" dependent on the Russian gas.
"I don't know how the Russian-Ukrainian relations will develop... But my job is to try to ensure unhampered gas deliveries to Serbia, as this is the condition for our further development," Vucic said.
He explained that Serbia currently needed three billions of cubic meters (9.8 billions of cubic feet) of gas per annum, while in seven or eight years it would need five billions.
"This is the basis for Serbian industrialization. When we build a gas pipeline and two gas distribution stations, we will certainly develop quicker. I hope for excellent results," Vucic said.
He specified that Serbia fulfilled all of its commitments, and that it was a reliable partner for Russia, not owning it "a single Dinar" for the gas deliveries.
"We want even more solid and successful cooperation with Russia. And we will have it on all other issues, including political and economical ones," Vucic concluded.
On October 26, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antic said that Serbia could join the TurkStream pipeline in order to improve its national energy security. While the first leg of the TurkStream will deliver Russian natural gas solely for Turkish consumption, the second leg will transport Russian gas to European countries through Turkey, and its completion is scheduled for 2019. Russia is considering options for extending the pipeline through Bulgaria and Serbia or through Greece and Italy.
