The Hungarian government expects MOL to reach an agreement in the coming days to buy a controlling stake in NIS (Neftena industrija Srbije) from Russia's „Gazprom Neft“. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó made the announcement after a meeting in Belgrade with Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović-Handanović.
“The Hungarian government is providing diplomatic support to MOL so that it can enter the Serbian oil market as the future majority owner of NIS“, the Hungarian foreign minister said at a press conference, confirming his Serbian counterpart's statement that the two sides had reached a deal.
“An agreement between MOL and the current majority owner of NIS, “Gazprom Neft“, could be reached in the coming days“, Szijjártó noted. In response to a clarifying question from journalists, he confirmed that the deal includes the acquisition of a controlling stake.
He also stated that once an agreement is reached, the parties will notify the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department so that it can grant sanctions relief to NIS and “Gazprom Neft“ and allow them to complete the deal.