Economist Veljko Mijušković said that the most favorable scenario for Serbia would be to buy back part of the ownership stake in Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), although he questioned whether such a move is currently feasible.
“That would certainly be the best option. We have said many times that it was a mistake for Serbia to give control of a strategic resource to another party. Whether it is possible now is uncertain. If not immediately, perhaps in a later phase Serbia could regain part of the ownership,” Mijušković told Tanjug.
He stressed that purchasing a portion of NIS would help Serbia avoid future issues related to sanctions.
“Buying back a share would allow Serbia to secure at least a controlling stake, if not more, so that we no longer end up in situations like this,” he added.
Mijušković said Hungary remains a strong option for purchasing the Russian 11.3 percent stake because it is acceptable to both the United States and Russia.
“We’ve seen the recent agreement between Orbán and Trump. Additionally, Orbán has long maintained friendly relations with Russia. He, or Hungary’s company, represents a point where the interests of both sides intersect and could satisfy U.S. requirements while remaining acceptable to Russia,” he explained.
He also noted that Hungary and Serbia are friendly countries, supported by the close relationship between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
Economist Mihajlo Rabrenović stated that the ongoing developments regarding NIS’s ownership should be viewed as part of a broader goal of U.S. sanctions, whose primary aim, he said, is the complete removal of Russian influence from the company.
He argued that the sale of the 11.3 percent Russian stake would not be sufficient to achieve that outcome.
“It seems unlikely that selling just 11.3 percent would accomplish that goal, because close business ties could still enable Russia to maintain influence,” Rabrenović told Tanjug.
He pointed out that Serbia currently holds about 29 percent of NIS, while small shareholders own around 14 percent.
“Even if Russia sold only this portion, they would still retain roughly 42–43 percent of ownership, which would not remove their influence or control,” Rabrenović said.
