PM: Abandoning of South Stream is bad news

Source: B92, Beta, RTS

BELGRADE -- Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has said that the announcement about the scrapping of the South Stream project was "not good news for Serbia."

(Tanjug, file)

Speaking in Israel, where he is on an official visit, Vucic said Serbia was "loyal to this project."
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced that his country was unable to continue with the project due to the opposition from the EU.

According to Vucic, who spoke for Serbia's public broadcaster RTS, Serbia "in no way contributed to that decision."

"We have been investing in South Stream for seven years and we in no way contributed to that decisions, it is obvious that we are suffering because of a clash between big (countries)," he said.

Vucic also announced that once he returns from New York, where he will attend a UN Security Council session, he will "talk with the Russian president and other Russian officials."

Serbian Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic told the media late on Monday that his ministry received no official information from Russia about "any changes to the project."

"We are following closely all President Putin's reactions and statements regarding South Stream. We interpret this latest statement as a signal above all for members of the EU who depend on the construction of the pipeline", Antic said.

Antic said that the future of the project did not depend on Serbia, and that for its realization it was necessary for Brussels and Moscow to harmonize their stands. The minister acknowledged that it was an extremely important project for Serbia's energy stability and for the activity of its construction sector, but added that Serbia had no influence on the future of the pipeline.