If you rely only on Russia, it will be harder for you

 

 Serbia has to make its own decisions on energy, but it is best for it to diversify its energy sources and the way it produces its energy. This was emphasized by the US Ambassador to our western neighbor Anthony Godfrey, the electronic edition of the Belgrade daily Politika quoted him as saying.

 "If you rely only on supplies from Russia, it will be harder for you to negotiate a good price. We expect Serbia to participate soon in a very important program for the introduction of gas imports through Greece, which is a very important partnership. It is important to introduce new energy sources, especially green energy sources. "I am proud that American companies are cooperating with Serbia to this end," Godfrey told TV Prva.

 Concluding that Serbia wants the cheapest possible gas and that supplies will be more expensive through the US company, Godfrey said he had talked a lot about it with President Aleksandar Vucic and reiterated that it was best for the long-term energy future. Serbia should diversify energy supplies, because only then will it be able to get the best price for them.  

 "President Vucic's goal is to participate in another gas pipeline with Balkan partners in order to have access to sources outside Russia. Unfortunately, we see that Russia is using access to energy for political purposes, and Serbia should not be held hostage to just one energy source. This is a wise policy and President Vucic understands this well, "he said.

Godfrey said bilateral security co-operation between Serbia and the United States was top-notch and that Washington was not blaming Belgrade for the latest arms deal from Russia.

 "We acknowledge that Serbia has chosen military neutrality. If Serbia wants to be a partner with Russia, we accept that as a decision of Serbia, but we also want it to be a partner of the United States. I can confirm that our bilateral security cooperation is at the highest level. "

He recalled that Serbia also procures weapons and equipment from France, the United States and other countries.

Godfrey said the United States did not see Serbia as a threat, but wondered how neighboring countries perceived it, wondered what Belgrade's goals were and why it was spending money on weapons rather than infrastructure or energy.

 "This is the time to invest in infrastructure, and we are proud of Serbia's cooperation with the United States in this area, but we are also pleased that we recently had a joint military exercise of parachute units. "But I think the priority is for Serbia to be a strong economic partner of its neighbors," Godfrey said.