Serbia hires lobbyists in USA due to sanctions on NIS

The state of Serbia has hired the lobbying firm BlackSummit Capital because of the US sanctions on the energy sector, Nova ekonomija has learned. BlackSummit will help Serbia “comply with the sanctions that were recently introduced in relation with the energy sector,” according to a document of the US Department of Justice.

Serbia is represented in this agreement by the cabinet of President Aleksandar Vucic and the Ministry of Finance. Ivica Kojic, chief of staff of the President of Serbia, is mentioned as the official through whom BlackSummit was hired, according to the document.

- BlackSummit's engagement with the Republic of Serbia was agreed orally. A formal written agreement should be signed in the near future - the document says.

There is no information on whether such an agreement was signed. The questions were sent to the Cabinet of the President of Serbia and the Ministry of Finance, but the answer had not arrived by the time this news was published. The document also says that BlackSummit will “engage in political activities” to help Serbia comply with the sanctions.

According to reports, the agreement was concluded on January 23 of this year. On January 10, the USA put NIS on the list of sanctions because of the stake owned by the Russian company Gazprom Neft. In an attempt to avoid sanctions, Gazprom Neft transferred part of its shares to the parent company Gazprom, but that maneuver was not enough for the Americans. The sanctions were expected to take effect at the end of February, but were delayed at the last minute for 30 days. After the expiration of the additional period at the end of March, the sanctions were once again postponed for the same period.