Russia's Sibur denies plans to buy stakes in Belarusian companies

• 29.08.2011, 12:50

Sibur does not plan to acquire state assets in Belarus, Dmitry Konov, president of the Russian petrochemical company, told reporters in Moscow on Friday.

"We do not want to participate" in privatization in Belarus, Mr. Konov said, according to RIA Novosti.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow on July 12, Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich said that Minsk was negotiating with Russian companies to sell the government's stakes in seven companies.

In particular, he said, Minsk is negotiating the sale of a stake in Hrodna Azot (chemical company) with Sibur and Rosneft, a stake in the Naftan oil refinery with LUKoil, a stake in Beltranshaz (gas pipeline network) with Gazprom, a stake in the Mazyr oil refinery with Rosneft, a stake in Mobile Telesystems (mobile phone network) with AFK Sistema, a stake in Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) with Russkiye Mashiny (Russian Machines Co.) and Rostekhnologii and a stake in Intehral (Minsk-based electronics company) with Rostekhnologii.

All these deals are being negotiated, although the process could be more dynamic, Mr. Myasnikovich said.

The following day, Rashid Nureyev, spokesman for Sibur, told BelaPAN that no talks were under way about the purchase of a stake in Hrodna Azot.