Former U.S. diplomat Thomas Countryman on U.S.-Serbia energy agreement: Significant, but overhyped

"This is not an alliance, nor is it a permanent economic partnership. It is a technical agreement under which the United States and Serbia will cooperate on certain energy issues," Countryman said in an interview with *Voice of America*.

Regarding the reduction of reliance on Russian gas, Countryman noted that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is skillfully trying to balance relations between Russia and the West.

However, he concluded that, despite the continued use of Russian gas, Serbia’s economic future lies with the West.

He also mentioned that he does not see Vucic attempting to distance himself from Russia, but that he has realized, as all European Union member states have, that it is politically and strategically dangerous to rely on energy imports from Russia.

"This agreement, of course, does not by itself determine whether Serbia will buy less gas from Russia and more from other sources. But long before this agreement, Serbia had already started the process of building options to reduce its dependence on Russian gas," Countryman said.

The former U.S. diplomat concluded that the agreement should not be interpreted as blanket American support for the Serbian government but rather as a practical need for the two countries to increase and deepen their economic cooperation.

On Wednesday, September 18, Serbia and the United States signed their first strategic cooperation agreement, specifically in the field of energy. The detailed content of the document is not yet known, but officials from both sides claim it represents an important step toward closer cooperation between the two governments, as well as the private sectors of both countries.