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 In an interview with the Associated Press at the formal start of the
pipeline construction work in Serbia on Sunday, Ivica Dacic said
that Russia, which has supported Serbia politically in a dispute
with the West over Kosovo, does not object to the country's effort
at EU membership. He also suggested that Western powers have in fact
pushed Serbia closer to Russia.
"Those (in the West) who criticize Serbia for its closeness to
Russia and for our partnership with Russia, should ask themselves
why they haven't offered such relations to Serbia?" Dacic said. "I
keep telling the West: Serbia needs a strategic partner in the West
too ... But, they are not interested at all."
Dacic also dismissed allegations by Serbia's pro-Western opposition
parties that the 2008 energy deal, under which Serbia sold 51
percent of its oil and gas monopoly to Gazprom as part of the South
Stream agreement, paved the way for Russian economic and political
dominance of the country. He said that critics "are afraid of
Russia's presence in this part of the world."
The trans-European pipeline is expected to start operating in
December 2015. It is expected to ship up to 63 billion cubic meters
(2 trillion cubic feet) of gas annually to Bulgaria, Serbia,
Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and Italy in one leg and Croatia,
Macedonia, Greece and Turkey in a second.
The pipeline's route bypasses transit nation Ukraine. Pricing
disputes between Russian and Ukraine have caused major disruptions
in recent years, cutting gas for millions of customers.
Serbia's state television on Sunday aired live the pipeline
inauguration ceremony, attended by top officials and Gazprom chief
Alexey Miller. President Tomislav Nikolic formally gave the go-ahead
in a video broadcast from the capital, Belgrade.
Dacic said the stretch of pipeline in Serbia will cost about 2
billion euros ($2.7 billion). It will be financed by Gazprom, while
Serbia will pay back its share later through pipeline transit taxes,
he added. About 20,000 people will work on construction and other
jobs around the pipeline, including building gas storage and gas
energy plants, Dacic said.
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"This is vital for Serbia's energy safety ... Serbia will become an
energy hub," Dacic insisted. "We will be part of a pan-European
project; this is not just a Russian project."
Dacic said that Serbia is willing for one of the pipeline branches
go to Kosovo, its former province, which declared independence in
2008. Serbia has refused to recognize the split, but it has moved to
normalize relations to move closer to EU membership — Belgrade and
Pristina signed an EU-brokered agreement in April.
Russia has backed Serbia's claim over Kosovo, while the United
States and most EU nations have recognized Kosovo's independence.
Russia has been Serbia's key ally in preventing Kosovo from gaining
full statehood in the United Nations.
Dacic described Serbia's ties with Russia as "friendly and relations
of strategic partnership in economic and political issues."
"We wish to unite our two strategic goals: partner relations with
the Russian federation and EU membership," he said, adding that
Serbia would also want closer relations with Washington.
"But, it takes two for a partnership," he said.
[Associated
Press; JOVANA GEC]
Associated Press writer
Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this report.
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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