No extension of tender for Zelezara Smederevo - Dinkic announces Plan B

Minister of Finance and Economy Mladjan Dinkic has stated that Russia's Uralvagonzavod did not apply for the tender for Zelezara Smederevo steelworks, adding that that tender would expire Thursday and would not be extended.

Dinkic told the press that it was most likely that the Plan B would be activated, adding that that plan would be presented on Friday to the president and the prime minister of Serbia as well as to the management and trade unions of the steelworks because, as he stressed, "Smederevo must not shut down."

The minister pointed out that the Serbian government was still open to all options and that several companies were interested in cooperation, adding that the government had also talked with other firms from a number of countries, but he did not specify which ones.

Dinkic also said that the contact with Uralvagonzavod was still maintained.

Director of Russia's Uralvagonzavod Oleg Sienko announced that his company would make a final decision in March on whether to take over Serbia's Zelezara Smederevo steelworks.

Sienko said that the management of Uralvagonzavod was still making a preliminary assessment of the value of the Serbian steel mill, adding that the result of that appraisal would serve as the basis for making a final decision on that deal, it was announced on the Russian website maonline.ru.

According to Sienko, Zelezara Smederevo is in an extremely difficult economic situation.