For Serbia, it is most sustainable to receive crude oil through the JANAF Adriatic pipeline, the construction of an oil pipeline to Hungary, which is the first option, or to Albania through North Macedonia, which is the second option, for now they are only possibilities, said the Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlovic.

As reported by the MIA correspondent from Belgrade, Mihajlovic stated that the new package of EU sanctions banning the import of Russian crude oil will not affect the stability of the supply, assessing that the import of crude oil through Janaf is the most profitable and sustainable option for Serbia.

- We have about 20 percent domestic oil, and the remaining 80 percent will be non-Russian oil. NIS has an agreement, ordering Russian oil to pass through JANAF until December 5, and after that date it will continue to import non-Russian oil through the same pipeline. This is nothing new for us and we were aware of this scenario. What is important is that we will surely have enough quantities of crude oil, Mihajlovic said, according to the statement from the line ministry.

Mihajlovic assessed that the construction of an oil pipeline to Hungary is a possibility that the Ministry of Mining and Energy has included in its investment plan, but that analyzes should be made and see if there is economic justification.

- The most sustainable and economical for Serbia is to get crude oil through JANAF, it is still the best option for us, and the construction of an oil pipeline to Hungary, which is the first option and would cost between 70 and 180 million euros, or to Albania, via North Macedonia , which is another option, are only possibilities for now. But it is necessary to do a feasibility study to see if and how much it is economically profitable to invest in such projects. Everything else is conceptual solutions, there is no tangible analysis, no decisions have been made, it is only a potential opportunity to have different routes for oil supply, said Mihajlovic, the announcement states.

In his Saturday address to the public, President Aleksandar Vucic said that Croatia has proven to be an unreliable partner for the Janaf oil pipeline, which is the only oil pipeline that supplies Serbia with oil, and that Belgrade has made a decision to start building an oil pipeline to Hungary, and it is planned construction of an oil pipeline with "friends from the Open Balkans".

- Our idea is to build an oil pipeline to North Macedonia and the port of Durres in Albania, in order to network our country with an oil pipeline. We will start quick talks with our partners from the Open Balkans and the region, said Vucic.