British oil giant BP mulls selling stake in TNK-BP Russian joint ventureJune 1, 2012 - 12:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - British oil giant BP said Friday, June 1 it could sell its 50 percent stake in its Russian joint venture TNK-BP, AP reported. TNK-BP, Russia's third-largest oil producer, is owned by BP and AAR, a consortium of Russian shareholders. The company has been mired in a corporate dispute after AAR blocked BP's deal with Russian oil company Rosneft. BP said in a statement Friday that it has received "unsolicited indications of interest" for its share in TNK-BP and is intent to pursue a potential sale which is "consistent with BP's commitment to maximising shareholder value" BP's spokesman in Russia Vladimir Buyanov told The Associated Press that the information about the potential buyer is confidential. He declined to specify whether the offer might have come from the Russian shareholders. Buyanov said the shareholders' agreement between BP and AAR requires both parties to notify the other of offers to acquire their holdings. AAR has previously indicated that it could be interested in raising its stake in TNK-BP. TNK-BP's CEO Mikhail Fridman, one of the members of AAR, unexpectedly stepped down on Monday. In an interview with the Russian daily Kommersant he cited tensions between the shareholders as a reason for his departure and said the parity ownership of TNK-BP no longer works. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | U.S. warns Georgia not to side with Moscow against the west Georgia has been warned by the U.S. not to become an adversary of the west by falling back in line with Moscow. Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. |