The
government will not begin to privatize "Rostelecom",
"Sovcomflot" and Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port this year
Privatization of "Rostelecom", probably, is again postponed.
The company still at all did not begin preparation for it – in particular,
allocation of infrastructure of special communication.
The government will not begin to privatize "Rostelecom",
"Sovcomflot" and the Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port (NCSP) this year,
reported "RIA Novosti news agency" with reference to speech of the deputy minister of
finance of the Russian Federation Tatyana Nesterenko at a meeting of the State
Duma Committee on the budget. "this year sale of these packages not to
carry out the decision" it was made "proceeding from their uncertain
cost" assets, quotes Nesterenko's agency. As a result receipt volumes in
the budget of means from privatization will strongly be reduced – by 170,8
billion rubles (the state hoped to gain from privatization this year 196,8 billion rubles). And expected to
receive the main part of means of the power from sale of a state block of shares
of "Rostelecom".
Later the Ministry of Finance in the official account Twitter gave
specification to Nesterenko's quote: it is not about refusal of privatization
in the current year, and that money from it will come to the federal budget not
earlier than 2015 the Representative of Rosimushchestvo reported on June 9 to
"Sheets" that department did not offer changes on terms,
structure and the sum of privatization for 2014, and the announcement of
cancellation of privatization became for it a surprise. The representative of
the secretariat of the first Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov supervising
privatization declared that the government yet does not change plans of
privatization.
The state block of shares of "Rostelecom" (43,07% of
authorized capital, or 46,99% of common stocks) is brought in the expected plan
of privatization for 2014-2016. The Minister of Communications Nikolay
Nikiforov said that privatization can take place in 2014 and the state expects to gain
for it not less than 5 bln. dollars. And the head of Rosimushchestvo Olga
Dergunova – that the budget can receive 150 billion rubles from its privatization.
Earlier interlocutors of "Sheets" in "Rostelecom"
said that privatization of the company this year will not be. Before privatization
it is necessary to carry out huge work – to separate that infrastructure of "Rostelecom" that is
used for service of the mass and corporate markets, from that that is taken
away under special communication, they explained. The former official well familiar
with business of "Rostelecom" tells that for this purpose the company needs at least
1,5-2 more years. This work still at all did not begin, tells the source close
to "Rostelecom" which is also sure that this year privatization will
not happen. That preparation for privatization is not present, also the person
close to one of major shareholders of "Rostelecom" knows. It is all
about the main interested party of this process, he which owing to the
political reasons cannot participate in privatization yet explains.
At the beginning of March two persons close to the operator's
shareholders, and a source in it told that Yury Kovalchuk will apply for a state block of shares.
According to them, Kovalchuk as the final buyer is discussed by managers of the
company and officials of
Rosimushchestvo and government. In March, 2014 Kovalchuk became the person
involved in the sanctions list of U.S. authorities. Kovalchuk's representatives
did not respond on June 9 to the request of "Sheets".
Privatization is a question of shareholders, the representative of
"Rostelecom" Kira Kiryukhina speaks. And management, according to
her, has to make the company strong and effective that at privatization the
state received the maximum benefit. Management of "Rostelecom" considers
that the company has considerable a potential of growth of cost, to realize which it is possible,
having increased efficiency of business processes, she speaks.
Not for
the first time
The idea to privatize "Rostelecom" was discussed last year.
The first Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov then declared that considers
expedient sale of all state
share in "Rostelecom" during 2013. However sale was postponed.
Elizabeth Sergina
Sheets
