Azerbaijan cuts vital gas supply to Serbia amidst tensions
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Saturday that Azerbaijan had ceased delivering natural gas to Serbia. He noted that the country could no longer depend on the 60 million cubic feet of gas it previously received daily.
Azerbaijan informed Serbia that, due to issues on their side, the daily supply of 60 million cubic feet of natural gas has been suspended as of January 11. President Aleksandar Vucic stated that the country must now rely on its reserves more strategically.
Previously, reports indicated that the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS) was under pressure from the United States, which wanted to remove Russian capital from the company. President Aleksandar Vucic highlighted the "exceptionally severe sanctions" imposed by the U.S.
Azerbaijan halted gas transmission to Serbia
Gas from Azerbaijan began being delivered to Serbia at the end of 2023. The country was supposed to receive Azerbaijani supplies this winter's heating season. Serbia's energy minister, Dubravka Djedović Handanović, assured in September that over 35 million cubic feet of gas would flow daily from Azerbaijan to Belgrade. So far, the resource has reached Serbia via a pipeline running through neighboring Bulgaria.
Before the connection was established, Serbia was dependent on Russian gas. Domestic production covered just under 13% of its needs; the rest was imported exclusively from the Russian Federation.
On Friday, the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS), the largest oil company in the country, was subject to American sanctions. The Russian energy industry predominantly controls NIS, which has been majority-owned by the Russian enterprises Gazprom and Gazprom Neft since 2008.
Azertag.az reported that at the start of January, the Serbian president described Azerbaijan as a dependable partner for Serbia in natural gas supplies. He also noted that approximately 15 billion cubic feet of gas were stored in underground facilities in Serbia and Hungary.
