Post by Beach Police on Jan 16, 2008 18:09:13 GMT -5
Gazprom: Serbia Could Become an Energy Center in the Balkans
MOSCOW, Jan. 16, 2008 (BETA) - Negotiations between Russia and Serbia about the gas arrangement, including the privatization of the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS), are under way, but it is still too early to speak about the deadlines for signing an agreement in this field, BETA was told by a spokesman for Gazprom, Sergei Kupriyanov, on Jan. 16.
Kupriyanov said that if the agreement is reached Serbia will become "the energy center in the Balkans and a very important player on the European energy market as a whole."
"First of all, Serbia will not be only getting money for a stake in the NIS and investments for the modernization of infrastructure, but also guaranteed deliveries of raw materials for decades in advance. Other contenders for NIS do not have the raw material base and it is not excluded that they will have to buy Russian oil. This is the undisputed competitive advantage of our proposal," Kupriyanov said.
Besides, said the representative of Gazprom, the passage of the main gas pipeline "Southern Creek" through Serbia will not only guarantee stable gas deliveries to Serbia, but also the status of a transit country for gas, which brings obvious financial benefits.
"All this is the very reason why Gazprom is advocating a complex agreement, which would envisage all the mentioned projects," Kupriyanov said.
As for the purchase of the controlling stake in NIS by Gazprom, Kupriyanov said, "this does not only give additional rights, but also obligations for the development of the company, which would become an efficient and competitive player on the European market."
"Gazprom is a commercial organization, whose strategy is oriented towards maximum business efficiency, and the increase of capital, which is in the interest of more than 500,000 shareholders, some of whom are foreigners. Our proposal to Serbia is aimed directly at this. From our point of view, this will not only be lucrative for Gazprom, but will enable Serbia to solve its energy problems for a long time," Kupriyanov said.
www.beta.co.yu/default.asp?h=English,en
MOSCOW, Jan. 16, 2008 (BETA) - Negotiations between Russia and Serbia about the gas arrangement, including the privatization of the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS), are under way, but it is still too early to speak about the deadlines for signing an agreement in this field, BETA was told by a spokesman for Gazprom, Sergei Kupriyanov, on Jan. 16.
Kupriyanov said that if the agreement is reached Serbia will become "the energy center in the Balkans and a very important player on the European energy market as a whole."
"First of all, Serbia will not be only getting money for a stake in the NIS and investments for the modernization of infrastructure, but also guaranteed deliveries of raw materials for decades in advance. Other contenders for NIS do not have the raw material base and it is not excluded that they will have to buy Russian oil. This is the undisputed competitive advantage of our proposal," Kupriyanov said.
Besides, said the representative of Gazprom, the passage of the main gas pipeline "Southern Creek" through Serbia will not only guarantee stable gas deliveries to Serbia, but also the status of a transit country for gas, which brings obvious financial benefits.
"All this is the very reason why Gazprom is advocating a complex agreement, which would envisage all the mentioned projects," Kupriyanov said.
As for the purchase of the controlling stake in NIS by Gazprom, Kupriyanov said, "this does not only give additional rights, but also obligations for the development of the company, which would become an efficient and competitive player on the European market."
"Gazprom is a commercial organization, whose strategy is oriented towards maximum business efficiency, and the increase of capital, which is in the interest of more than 500,000 shareholders, some of whom are foreigners. Our proposal to Serbia is aimed directly at this. From our point of view, this will not only be lucrative for Gazprom, but will enable Serbia to solve its energy problems for a long time," Kupriyanov said.
www.beta.co.yu/default.asp?h=English,en