Azerbaijan has informed Serbia that it is forced to suspend supplies of 1.7 million cubic meters of gas per day due to problems at the Shah Deniz field, President of the Balkan republic Aleksandar Vucic said, TASS reported.

“Bad news never comes one, a second and then a third appears. We have received notification from our Azerbaijani brothers and friends that due to insurmountable difficulties and problems at the Shah Deniz field, we cannot count on the 1.7 million cubic meters of gas per day we were receiving from today. It says here: “there is no certainty and clarity as to how long it will take to restore gas supplies”. Let me translate that into Serbian, dear people. It means that from today, we are starting to use our own reserves much stronger and more,” Vucic said at a press conference.

The Serbian president pointed to sufficient energy reserves in the country for the current winter season, but expressed hope for the early resumption of Azerbaijani supplies.

Vucic, following talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, held at the end of December 2024, noted the importance of the plan “to jointly build a gas power plant near Niš, which will provide an additional source of electricity.” According to Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, thanks to Baku, Serbia's energy security “in these turbulent times” has been significantly strengthened.