Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović commented on Instagram regarding the ongoing process of selling NIS. She stated that Russian shareholders of NIS have been negotiating with several companies for weeks. According to her, it is not professional to publicly discuss the details of negotiations that are still underway, especially when Serbia’s state leadership is involved in every aspect. “Anyone who works in business understands this,” she wrote.
She added that current political statements on the issue have nothing to do with concern for citizens but are instead political grandstanding—particularly coming from those who sold NIS in 2008, “practically giving it away.” Instead of acknowledging that “citizens have not felt any consequences of the sanctions for 44 days,” she said, critics are now claiming that foreign companies will use Serbian money to buy the Russian stake in NIS. “I do not understand how that would even be possible,” she wrote, adding that no one with even basic knowledge of economics or politics would consider such claims realistic. According to the minister, the accusations are a cheap attempt to provoke President Aleksandar Vučić and the Government of Serbia, lacking any connection to reality. She noted that the political scene in Serbia is unfortunately accustomed to daily misinformation, and it is disappointing that the opposition chooses to spread falsehoods even during a highly sensitive geopolitical moment. She reminded that it was the same opposition that handed over NIS and Serbia’s oil and gas fields to the Russian Federation while they were in power.
She concluded with a message directed at the opposition. “Ladies and gentlemen from the opposition, the priority now is ensuring that citizens do not feel the effects of the sanctions that we did not cause. The state will continue to act responsibly and secure additional quantities of petroleum products because the safety of our citizens in the days and weeks ahead is our top priority as we await a response from the U.S. administration.”
