This comes only a few days after Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia. Consequently, relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply. Rio Tinto had plans to explore the potential extraction of lithium. With this move, the Serbian government has appeased environmental activists who were protesting against the possible further development of the lithium extraction project. Prime Minister Ana Brnabić stressed that the government had yielded to the 'greens' and halted the 2.4 billion US dollar project. It should be noted that, if the project were to be implemented, Rio Tinto would firmly become a 'member' of the top ten in the world for lithium extraction and production. As is known, lithium is a crucial component for solar and electric vehicle batteries.