Belgrade, 12 October 2022 (MIA) — Serbia needs to clearly state its views on the changing geopolitical map and find its own place in the next 100 years, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlović said in a TV appearance Wednesday commenting on Russia’s war in Ukraine. According to MIA’s Belgrade correspondent, Mihajlović said Russia was waging a war of conquest and not liberation, and the Russian president, she said, was causing immense suffering. “We as a country should definitely decide and clearly define our position, because these are things that go beyond normal behavior. We are on the verge of a world war in the 21st century, when we should be fighting instead for better living conditions,” Mihajlović told Serbian TV Prva. “In such a situation,” she said, “we have to take a clear stance and find our place in the next 100 years. The world is changing, the geopolitical situation is different, and we have to look to the future and look for our place.” She said the world was already in an energy war. Despite this, she said Serbia was making all possible efforts to supply power to commercial, industrial, and residential consumers. “What is happening with the ‘Druzhba’ pipeline, the world’s longest oil pipeline that carries only Russian oil through its 4,000 kilometers, looks like a sequel to what happened with Nord Stream. At first we were told it was due to maintenance, then it was due to a malfunction, but it turns out it wasn’t so – it was sabotage,” the Serbian Deputy PM said. She reiterated there was no danger of oil shortages on the Serbian market, adding that the new package of EU sanctions banning imports of Russian crude oil would not disrupt the country’s steady supply. Mihajlović also said the construction of an oil pipeline to Hungary and to Albania and Greece, through North Macedonia, would make Serbia a transit route. “We have Janaf. We get oil through that pipeline. Still, it is important to think strategically,” she said. “An oil pipeline from Panchevo to Nish, Skopje and two lines, one to Thessaloniki and Durres, as well as constructing an oil pipeline from Panchevo to Hungary would mean that Serbia becomes a transit route. “We are talking 500 to 700 million euro investments, but this is to be expected for such large-scale projects that are significant not only for Serbia but also for the wider region,” she noted. Commenting on the Turkish Stream gas supplies, Mihajlović said the state needed to monitor the situation and respond quickly to protect the quantities passing through Serbia. mr/