ANKARA - Rustam Minnihanov, Prime Minister of Republic of Tatarstan and the Chairman of Executive Board of Tatneft, said on Thursday that sale of Turkish Oil Refineries Corp (Tupras) complied with both Turkish and Russian laws and there was not any problem.
Minnihanov who is paying a visit to Ankara as the guest of Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan held meetings in the Finance Ministry.
Unakitan and Minnihanov made a statement after meetings between delegations with participation of Privatization Administration Chairman Metin Kilci and Zorlu Holding Executive Board Chairman Ahmet Nazif Zorlu.
Unakitan noted that Tatneft and Zorlu Group won the tender of Tupras and added that there was contract phase now and it would take some time. He stated that Tupras would be transferred to Tatneft and Zorlu Group with the signing of the contract.
When he was reminded that small partners in Tatneft demanded cancellation of tender, Minnihanov said that Tupras was a very big project and noted that there was a side which was not pleased with it and also there was a side which was pleased with the project. Minnihanov stressed that sale of Tupras complied with both Turkish and Russian laws and there was not any problem.
Replying to another question, Minnihanov said that they would decide how to make payment together with their Turkish partner.
Minnihanov added that there would be a fifty-fifty partnership between Tatneft and Zorlu Group.
ERDOGAN MEETS WITH MINNIHANOV
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Thursday with Rustam Minnihanov, Prime Minister of Republic of Tatarstan.
The meeting lasted for one hour.
Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan and Zorlu Holding Executive Board Chairman Ahmet Nazif Zorlu also attended the meeting.
(EÖ-AÖ) 26.02.2004