Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy, Zorana Mihajlovic is looking forward to having an agreement with the United States on strategic partnerships, as there is still room for US companies in the implementation of new energy projects.
As the best example of cooperation between the US and Serbia, she quoted the Moravian Corridor.
“We have done a lot in the field of mining and energy, especially when it comes to drafting the legislative framework,” Mrs Mihajlovic said after a meeting with Christopher Hill, the new US Ambassador to Belgrade. “Serbia is in the initial phase of the energy transition, we need new capacities, primarily in the electricity sector, because we have not built any capacity for 35 years and we get more than 70 per cent of energy from thermal power plants (TPPs).”
In her view, priorities include investments in new capacities, an increase in energy efficiency and diversification in the gas sector.
“I believe that it would be very useful for future cooperation to have an agreement between our two countries,” she said. “[…] We want to develop better economic relations and have even more American companies operating in our country.”
Also Ambassador Hill agreed that it is important to deepen relations with Serbia at all levels, political, economic and energy.
“A strategic partnership agreement would greatly facilitate joint projects, especially in the energy sector, where speed is very important, in order to develop projects in line with technological achievements and to influence the increase of energy security,” Mr Hill said.
