The conference titled "Serbian-American Relations: Energy Diversification Strategy" was held on May 12, 2022, at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. It was organized by the Serbian-American Friendship Congress (SAFC) and Color Media Communications. The event was moderated by Robert Čoban, President of Color Media Group, and is part of a series of conferences organized jointly by SAFC and CMC for the third consecutive year.
Before the conference began, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlović emphasized the importance of Serbia becoming more efficient and quicker to complete certain interconnections and thus gain access to energy resources from other suppliers. She told journalists that the conference is crucial for Serbia and that discussions would focus on what this means dynamically for the country, particularly how much time is needed to achieve greater energy stability. "Energy stability is equal to political stability," Mihajlović said, adding that the whole world, hoping for the end of the war in Ukraine, expects further serious economic, financial, and energy crises in the near future.
"This topic is very significant for us considering the experiences of countries like Israel and their rapid progress in renewable energy sources and development. These are all issues that are important to us, and we want to send a message that Serbia, as a central state in the Western Balkans, has the space and capacity to secure its energy independence," Mihajlović stated.
U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill noted that the topic of energy diversification is important for everyone, especially given that changes in this area will be observed in the near future, particularly in our region. For this reason, he said, it is the right time to discuss what needs to be done to improve energy diversification in Serbia and what the United States can do to assist Serbia in this regard.
Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Yahel Vilan mentioned that Israel and Serbia have been collaborating strongly in the field of energy over the past few years and thanked Minister Mihajlović for supporting this cooperation. He noted that a recent agreement on renewable energy sources had been signed between the two countries. Vilan announced that a seminar would be held next week to present Serbia's potential in this field to Israeli companies.
Member of Parliament and one of the founders of the Serbian-American Friendship Congress Vladimir Marinković pointed out that everyone is aware that today energy issues are not only economic but also geopolitical. He emphasized that Serbia will cooperate with its friends in this area, particularly from the United States. He reminded that over 25,000 people are employed in American companies in Serbia and that the cooperation between Serbia and the United States has been very dynamic in the last two months. "All of this shows that Serbia is ready to work with partners from Europe and the United States on energy diversification and other issues," Marinković concluded.
