An agreement on cooperation in the oil and gas sector and a protocol on the main conditions for the acquisition by Russian company Gazprom Neft of a 51-percent stake in Serbian company Naftna Industrija Srbije were signed today at a meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadic and Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.
President Vladimir Putin called the signature of these agreements a significant event for the development of the two countries’ bilateral relations. Moreover, the signature of these agreements will see Serbia become one of the key transit hubs in the system that is in the process of formation for delivering Russian energy supplies to southern Europe, Mr Putin said.
On the Kosovo issue, Mr Putin reiterated that Russia remains firmly opposed to any unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence.