“Negotiations with the seller and the relevant authorities are ongoing in order to finalize the transaction,” MOL said.

MOL signed a heads of terms agreement in January on the acquisition of a 56.15% stake in NIS from Russia’s Gazprom Neft which was targeted by United States sanctions.

The state of Serbia holds a 29.87% stake in NIS.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury recently extended a deadline for winding up talks on the acquisition of the NIS stake until June 16.

Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic said on Wednesday that Serbia had reached a compromise with MOL on the shareholders’ agreement.

In a post on Instagram, she said the agreement with MOL provides Serbia with “additional rights in decision-making or blocking important decisions”.