Bosnia, Croatia Sign Gas Pipeline Agreement

In Dubrovnik, Croatia, leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia signed an agreement on Tuesday to build the Southern Interconnection gas pipeline, aimed at reducing Bosnia's complete reliance on Russian natural gas supplies.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Borjana Kristo, chair of Bosnia's Council of Ministers, finalized the deal on the sidelines of a summit for the Baltic, Black and Adriatic regions. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright attended the signing, accompanied by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. The pipeline will connect Bosnia to Croatia's gas network and the liquefied natural gas terminal on the Adriatic island of Krk, enabling access to alternative supplies ahead of an impending European Union ban on Russian energy imports next year.

Bosnia currently imports all its natural gas from Russia through pipelines via neighboring Serbia and the TurkStream route through Bulgaria. Officials described the project as a step toward diversifying energy sources and enhancing regional security. Plenkovic posted on social media that the agreement would strengthen "energy security and independence, which is especially important in...