Jefri Payat: The people in Serbia decide on the lithium mine, the US supports the government's position

The lithium mine is an opportunity for Serbia to deepen ties with the European Union (EU) and position itself as a leader in an industry that will be very important in the future, but the people of Serbia should decide whether there will be a mine, said the assistant of the state US Secretary of Energy Jeffrey Pyatt.

In an interview with the Voice of America (VOA), Payat said that Western countries are looking for an alternative in the supply of lithium because they are largely dependent on China.

Pajat also responded to claims from Moscow that the West is overthrowing the government in Serbia through protests against lithium and pointed out that the situation is the opposite - that America supports the government in Serbia in connection with the Jadar and Rio Tinto project.

"This is an important project for the US for several reasons. First, it is an opportunity to deepen the ties between the EU and Serbia, which has been the goal of US policy for years. It is also an important part of our partnership with the EU to accelerate the energy transition and to produced large quantities of key minerals needed to meet the goal we all want - which is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in our economies," Pajat explained.

When asked by VOA whether the project is important for Serbia, Pajat said that "the people of Serbia should decide on that".

"My opinion is that this is a generational opportunity for Serbia to take a leadership position in the industry, which will be very, very important in future competitiveness in the USA, Europe and abroad," he said.

He said that "we are all too dependent on one country, China, which controls much of the mining and processing of these energy minerals."

"There is a systematic attempt in the EU and the USA to diversify the supply chain. The question of where this diversification will come from is still open. But Serbia, due to its geology, has a unique opportunity to play a globally significant role in that process," said an American official.

When asked how he sees the claims of critics of the Jadar project who say that Serbia's role is to be a "mining colony for rich countries", Pajat said "Serbia should start producing more valuable things".

"I am convinced of one thing: that a Western company like Rio Tinto, which is subject to an audit by its shareholders and has to comply with regulations in all the markets in which it operates, will have much higher standards than a company from China or some other non-transparent actor" , said Pajat.

When asked how you comment on accusations from Russia that the West, through protests against Rio Tinto, wants to destabilize the situation and overthrow the government in Serbia, Pajat said that it is "completely pointless".

"It is clear that there is only one country that is interested in keeping Serbia vulnerable and dependent. And the last time I checked, it was the Russian Federation," said the US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources.