The further development of gas supply to Serbia via Greece was discussed, among other things, at a meeting between Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou and Serbian Minister of Mines and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović, in the presence of Greek Ambassador to Serbia Maria Levantis and Serbian Ambassador to Greece Nikola Nedeljković.

In particular, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources announced that international developments in the energy sector were discussed at length, with emphasis on the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East and the need to strengthen energy security through diversification of sources, while the strategic nature of cooperation between Greece and Serbia in the energy sector was reaffirmed. Particular emphasis was placed on the role of Greece as a reliable energy gateway for South-Eastern and Central Europe through the Vertical Corridor and prospects for cooperation in the electricity sector were examined, with a view to strengthening interconnections in the European energy system.

The strategic importance of Greece’s role in the energy sector was also stressed.

“Today’s meeting once again confirms the high level of Greece-Serbia relations. As has been confirmed repeatedly by the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic,” Papastavrou said during a joint press conference, adding that what was particularly emphasized with his counterpart during their private discussion is that “in today’s era of uncertainty, energy is not just an economic issue. It is an issue of national security, stability and sovereignty.”

The Greek Minister reiterated that the diversification of energy sources and routes is very important with Greece in recent years becoming a gateway to Southeastern Europe and European Europe. “With LNG infrastructure, gas pipelines and interconnections, we are actively contributing to the energy security of the region,”

he stressed.

Papastavrou made a special reference to the interconnection of Serbia with Bulgaria and Bulgaria with Greece through the IGB, as well as to the future interconnection of Serbia with North Macedonia and North Macedonia with Greece. He also referred to the Vertical Corridor, underlining that it is an artery of growth, progress and stability. “Serbia cannot be absent from this planning, he said, adding that Serbia supports the acceleration of Serbia’s accession process to the European Union.

“The Energy Cooperation between Greece and Serbia is a key pillar and transforms the geography of the Balkans into a geopolitical advantage. And this opportunity should not be missed,” Papastavrou said and stressed that “Greece and Serbia choose to be part of the solution and not part of the problem”. “They choose to cooperate, to create more energy security and stronger interconnectivity and together we can shape the new energy architecture of the region,” he concluded.

For her part, his counterpart Handanović said that Serbia plans to build two new gas interconnections with North Macedonia and Romania, through which Serbia will secure an additional more than 4 billion cubic meters of gas per year. “Work on the Serbia-Northern Macedonia interconnection is starting this year and will be put into operation in early 2028. The projected capacity is about 1.5 billion cubic metres per year and connects us more with Greece. In this way we will gain another supply route, through which gas can reach Serbia from various sources, including the TANAP pipeline and LNG terminals in Greece,” he noted.

The Serbian minister recalled that Srbijagas has committed 300 million cubic meters of gas at the Alexandroupoli LNG terminal for a period of 10 years and has a license to operate in Greece. He also expressed gratitude to EKO Serbia, a member of the HelleniQ Petroleum group, which significantly increased imports of petroleum products last year, contributing to the security of market supply at a time when NIS is facing challenges due to sanctions.

He also stressed that Serbia has completed all the necessary steps to connect to the EU electricity market. “We will be the first non-EU country to be connected to the European electricity market. We hope that the EU will complete the process soon, with the significant support of Greece,” Handanović stressed.