The US and Serbia sign an agreement for strategic cooperation in the field of energy

2024-09-18 20:03:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US and Serbia sign an agreement for strategic cooperation in the field of

US Department of State

The United States and Serbia signed a strategic cooperation agreement in the energy sector on Wednesday.

The agreement, signed by US Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment Jose W. Fernandez and Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, according to US officials, "will expand opportunities for US companies to invest in Serbia's energy sector and to promote American investment.”

The agreement will "strengthen the strategic partnership between the United States and Serbia", according to the statement of the US Department of State.

This agreement for strategic cooperation with the United States in the field of energy comes after the signing of another strategic agreement that Serbia has signed with the European Union.

In July, Serbia signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Union for a strategic partnership enabling the extraction of rare minerals such as lithium, a large-scale project expected to reduce Europe's dependence on China, but which is being heavily criticized by environmentalists and parties. oppositional.

The deal with the EU was signed in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose country as Europe's biggest carmaker is looking for lithium, a vital mineral for the production of electric car batteries.

Plans for the lithium mineral have sparked widespread anti-government protests in Serbia, despite warnings from officials that efforts are underway to oust Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He stated that he was informed by the Russian intelligence services that in Serbia "wide riots and a coup" are being prepared by the Western powers that want to overthrow him from power. He did not say which western countries it is about.

At the signing of the agreement on Wednesday, the United States said it "strongly supports the high standards of transparency and openness in public procurement set forth by multinational organizations" and urged Serbia to adopt those standards, according to the statement.

According to the United States, the agreement reached with Serbia is the result of "a multi-year effort" of specialists engaged by five American agencies.

"This commitment of resources reflects the U.S. government's strong support for U.S. investors and projects for clean energy" and sustainable development, the State Department said in a statement./VOA