Image source: topwar.ru
Control over the Serbian oil company NIS will pass from Russian shareholders to third parties. Information about the decision was immediately passed on to the US Treasury Department.
This was announced by the Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia Dubravka Jedovic-Handanovic.
According to her, information about the change of ownership was contained in the official request for renewal of the company's license. The Serbian government welcomed this step. The minister noted that preliminary comments on this issue have already been received from the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury (OFAC). A final response from the overseas Ministry is expected in the coming days.
It is assumed that the US Treasury Department will extend the license for further operations for NIS.
Image source: topwar.ru
According to the latest data, most of the shares of the Serbian oil giant are owned by Gazprom Neft. Another 11.3 percent is controlled by the St. Petersburg-based Inteligence Company, which is a subsidiary of Gazprom Capital. The remaining shares are owned by the Serbian government and small shareholders. Gazprom is now forced to make concessions to the United States on the issue of its assets in Serbia.
At the moment, NIS is under American sanctions. Recently, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that he refuses to negotiate with the United States on postponing the imposition of sanctions against the oil company and intends to negotiate the future of the company with the Russians. Belgrade receives approximately 9 percent of all budget revenues from NIS.
