The Serbian government has enlisted the lobbying firm BlackSummit Capital to assist in navigating the recent U.S. sanctions imposed on the country’s energy sector, Nova Ekonomija has learned.
BlackSummit will work to help Serbia “comply with the sanctions recently introduced in connection with the energy sector,” according to a document from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Serbia is represented in this agreement by the office of President Aleksandar Vučić and the Ministry of Finance.
Ivica Kojić, the chief of staff for the President of Serbia, is identified in the document as the official through whom BlackSummit was hired.
The engagement was initially agreed upon orally, and a formal written agreement is expected to be signed soon, as stated in the document. There is no confirmation yet on whether this agreement has been finalized. The Cabinet of the President and the Ministry of Finance were contacted for comment, but no response was received by the time of publication.
The document indicates that BlackSummit will also “engage in political activities” to assist Serbia in adhering to the sanctions.
Reports reveal that the agreement was concluded on January 23 of this year. On January 10, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Serbia’s state-owned oil company NIS, due to its stake held by the Russian firm Gazprom Neft.
In an effort to evade the sanctions, Gazprom Neft transferred part of its shares to its parent company, Gazprom, but this move did not suffice to prevent U.S. action.
While the sanctions were initially set to take effect at the end of February, they were postponed by 30 days. This period expired at the end of March, and the sanctions were again delayed for another 30 days.
