ANTIC: No deal with Russians on Petrohemija’s debt yet

(Photo: Mc.rs)

The Minister of energy and mining, Aleksandar Antic, said today in Moscow that final deal on Petrohemija with Russian partners was not achieved but he expressed his belief that Serbia will soon find mutual interest with respect to that issue with the Oil Industry of Serbia.

Antic said that during this week’s visit to Moscow, Serbian delegation had serious talks on how Serbia should solve debts for fuel to Russian partners.

As one of the solutions or models, they considered that one part of Petromehija’s debt to NIS is converted into NIS ownership in Petrohemija and the other portion of debt to be paid in money, Antic said to journalists in the resource ministry

Plenty of talk follows and I believe we will find mutual interest with NIS, the minister said, defining that Petrohemija’s debt to NIS is some USD 260 m.

He added that the working group between the Government of Serbia and NIS was set up so that model of debt repayment could be defined and that he expects the talks to follow in the upcoming days.

Antic mentioned that a part of the public believes that agreement with respect to Petrohemija’s debt was reached but that it is not true but they are looking for suitable model to solve that issue

- We asked Russian partners to help us in finding a partner for Petrohemija as well as to return us favorable gas prices for some companies based on “tolling” deal – he said.

Antic also said that debt of Srbijagas to Nis is some USD 240 m and that the issue will have to be solved.