Translated material
Balkan test
Dmitry Medvedev passed the first exam in presidential diplomacy in Belgrade
Moscow has found an original way to support Belgrade in the fight for the territorial integrity of the country and at the same time continue to implement its gas strategy. By coincidence, the Kremlin’s foreign policy action resulted in the first serious independent diplomatic mission of Dmitry Medvedev, who in a matter of days will win the presidential elections in Russia. Moreover, he had to make his Balkan visit at a moment that was not the most favorable for Moscow.As a result, the First Deputy Prime Minister provided the Serbian leadership with moral and legal support on the Kosovo problem and promised economic assistance in the form of mutual investments, in particular, within the framework of the recently signed package of documents in the field of oil and gas cooperation. After which Mr. Medvedev, accompanied by Serbian President Boris Tadic (pictured) , visited the Church of St. Sava, erected in honor of the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Autocephalous Church.
The visit to Serbia was not included in Mr. Medvedev's busy election schedule until Friday, February 22. It was initially planned that on February 25, the Gazprom delegation would sign a working agreement with the state-owned company Srbijagaz on the creation of a joint venture for the design and construction of a section of the South Stream gas pipeline across the country - a regular technical document in the development of a comprehensive agreement on cooperation in the energy sector and sale to Gazprom Neft of a controlling stake in the oil refining company NIS (Oil Industry of Serbia). However, the development of the situation around Kosovo forced Moscow to more actively express its political position. And yet another gas diplomacy campaign could not have come at a better time. It’s just that now not only Vladimir Putin, but also Dmitry Medvedev will carry out these actions, which should be taught to partners and opponents in interstate affairs.
“We will fight together with Russia and will seek the abolition of these illegal decisions (on the independence of Kosovo - Ed. ), - Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica was inspired after meeting with the Moscow guest. “There will be no stabilization in the region and in the world until a decision is made to annul (the declaration of independence of Kosovo. - Ed. ).” According to him, the essence of the joint policy of Russia and Serbia is that “all decisions to proclaim a false state must be annulled.”
Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister was more restrained and pragmatic, understanding the limitations of Moscow's ability to influence the course of events around Kosovo. “We agreed to continue to coordinate our joint efforts to get out of this very difficult situation, aimed at resolving the Kosovo problem,” Mr. Medvedev said. “This kind of coordination will be carried out through all interested departments.”
The Kosovo issue, according to Mr. Medvedev, creates a problem for the whole of Europe. “Together we proceed from the fact that this act (self-declaration of independence of Kosovo. - Ed. ) absolutely does not comply with international law. It violates the sovereignty and fundamental rights that exist on the territory of the state, destroys the territorial integrity of the Serbian state,” noted the First Deputy Prime Minister. But he did not confirm the thesis about the fight to the bitter end. “In essence, the actions that have been taken are destroying the international security system, the system of international law, which humanity has been developing for more than a hundred years.” Mr. Medvedev also recalled that Pristina’s decision is absolutely inconsistent with the principles of international law, the UN Charter, the Helsinki Act, UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and other international documents.
In fact, in dry legal language, Dmitry Medvedev reproduced Friday’s much more metaphorical and emotional statement by current President Vladimir Putin. “The Kosovo precedent is a terrible precedent. He, in fact, hacks the entire system of international relations, which has developed not even over decades, but over centuries. And, without any doubt, it can entail a whole chain of unpredictable consequences,” he said at the informal CIS summit. Those who recognize the independence of Kosovo, Putin continued, do not calculate the results of what they do. “Ultimately, this is a double-edged sword, and the second stick will hit them in the head someday,” the president concluded.
In addition to political support, Dmitry Medvedev brought promises of economic support to Belgrade. “Serbia needs this kind of support, especially in the current conditions. This support should not only be of a moral and legal nature, but also be based on the international agreements that we signed today, on specific agreements that will help deepen our relations and improve the socio-economic standards of living in our countries,” explained the first Deputy Prime Minister
According to the agreement signed yesterday between the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller and the head of Srbijagaz Sasa Ilic, a joint venture will be created within three months to design the Serbian section of the South Stream gas pipeline, in which the Russian concern will receive 51%. After registration, the joint venture will have 18 months to prepare a feasibility study and exactly two years to prepare for pipe laying. Thus, construction itself must begin no later than January 2012 in order for gas to flow through South Stream, as planned, in 2013. It was also stipulated in the Moscow documents that the volume of annual transit of Russian gas through Serbia will be at least 10 billion cubic meters (with the design capacity of South Stream being 30 billion cubic meters).
The offshore section of the gas pipeline from Russia to Bulgaria is being designed by a joint venture between Gazprom and the Italian Eni. It is also engaged in marketing research and will determine the directions of gas supplies. Now, in addition to the transit option through Serbia and Hungary to Austria, a branch to Greece and further to the south of Italy is being considered. Negotiations with potential transit countries - Hungary and Greece - are in full swing.
After Belgrade, Dmitry Medvedev and Alexey Miller went to Budapest, where, according to Vremya Novostei, they held blitz negotiations with the Hungarian leadership on the text of an intergovernmental agreement on gas transit. Last Friday, this topic was already discussed in Moscow, when Hungarian officials headed by Finance Minister Janos Veres, who is also co-chairman of the Russian-Hungarian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, visited Gazprom and the Ministry of Industry and Energy. Miisiya turned out to be successful. After talks with Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, Mr Medvedev said an intergovernmental agreement with Hungary would be signed no later than February 28 in Moscow. He also for the first time announced an estimate of the cost of the entire gas pipeline - $10-14 billion, of which $2 billion will be required for the Hungarian section.
Last Friday, progress was recorded in another area of South Stream development. Russian Minister of Industry and Energy Viktor Khristenko and Greek Development Minister Christos Folias agreed to create a joint working group on gas issues. Within its framework, issues of Athens joining the South Stream project will be worked out. Mr. Folias, at a meeting with his Russian colleague, noted the great interest of Greece in participating in the “southern” route. But it is clear that today the conciliation procedures with Greece are at the very beginning of the journey.