The Russian leadership does not intend to intervene in an ongoing dispute between shareholders of Russian-British oil venture TNK-BP, a Kremlin aide said on Sunday.
The company, jointly owned by British oil major BP and a handful of Russian tycoons, is currently caught up in a dispute between Russian and British shareholders over company strategy, which has sparked rumors that natural gas monopoly Gazprom will step in and buy up a stake.
Presidential economic adviser Arkady Dvorkovich, speaking at the Internation | Ads |  |
al Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, said: "We will not interfere in this. I hope that the shareholders solve these problems as soon as possible."
"I do not believe that these problems are irreconcilable," he added.
In response to the media rumors, a source in Gazprom told RIA Novosti that the company has no plans to buy a stake in TNK-BP.
"Gapzrom will not buy, because nothing could be worse than this," he said.
On the dispute between the shareholders, he said: "Let them fight it out themselves."
TNK-BP CEO Robert Dudley said on Saturday he was sure a dispute between the shareholders would be resolved in the next few days.
Founded in 2003, TNK-BP is Russia's third-largest oil producer, and is jointly owned by BP with 50%, Russia's Alfa Group with 25%, Viktor Vekselberg's Renova with 12.5%, and Leonard Blavatnik's Access industries with 12.5%.
ST. PETERSBURG, June 8 (RIA Novosti)
| 
