Dubravka Đedović Handanović, Serbia’s Minister of Energy, met Zsolt Hernádi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the MOL Group.
As the Minister wrote on social media, the agreement on the sale of the Serbian oil company, NIS, and Serbia’s future relations in NIS are not easy. “There are red lines that we cannot cross”, as she put it.
Đedović Handanović pointed out that Serbia’s goal is for the Pančevo Refinery to continue operating at full capacity, but also for MOL to take over or replace the obligations that NIS committed to in the past and that are important for the country.
The topic of the discussion was also the way the company will be managed in the future. The talks will continue in the coming days in Belgrade, while MOL continues negotiations with Gazprom Neft and Gazprom, which together hold more than a 50 per cent stake in the company.
The US has extended NIS’s operating license until June 16.
In January, MOL signed a binding agreement to purchase the Russian stake. The United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil company, ADNOC, may participate in the deal as a minority investor.
The Serbian government holds approximately a 30 per cent stake in NIS, with the remainder held by smaller shareholders and employees.