Serbia saved at least 1 billion euros by signing an agreement with Gazprom for gas supplies at a price of $ 270-275 per 1,000 cubic meters. m, said President Alexander Vucic in an interview with Pink TV channel.
“I promise that we will continue to work and in the future will also have the lowest price in Europe, excluding the CIS countries. We succeeded, this is not 300 million savings for all Serbian citizens, this is at least 1 billion euros, including all foreign exchange transactions, this is a strategic issue for the country, this is a huge saving, ”he said. Vucic noted that the gas price on the exchange ranges from 650 to 1200 euros per 1000 cubic meters. m.
Earlier, Vucic said following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the gas price for Serbia in the first half of 2022 will be $ 270 per 1,000 cubic meters. m. The presidents agreed to increase the supply of fuel and their flexibility.
Serbia is now purchasing 2 billion cubic meters. m of Russian gas per year at $ 270 per thousand cubic meters – in the words of Vucic himself, this is “the best price in Europe.” The current contract expires at the end of the year. Serbia has announced its desire to increase imports under the new agreement to 3 billion cubic meters. meters of gas per year.
Moscow’s first proposal implied a formula in which the price of gas for Serbia would be 70% of the exchange price and 30% based on the oil formula, thus reaching $ 790 per thousand cubic meters, Vucic said in October. He called such a price unaffordable for the Serbian economy.
Negotiations on a new contract between Belgrade and Moscow took place against the backdrop of a historic rise in gas prices, associated, in particular, with a surge in business activity and a drop in production at wind farms in Europe. In September, Putin said that countries that have signed long-term gas supply contracts with Russia “can now only rub their hands and rejoice,” otherwise they would have to buy fuel at a higher price.
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