The Russian government is discussing the possibility of acquiring Oman's stake in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), Igor Sechin told journalists today ac RBC. He added that Russia had already made a proposal and that the matter was currently under discussion.
The rumors that Oman plans to sell its stake in CPC have been around since early 2007. The Indian consortium ONGC Mittal has been viewed as one of the potential buyers, but the company failed to strike the deal. Meanwhile, several days ago information leaked to the media that Russia might acquire Oman's 7-percent stake in CPC. Russia currently owns a 24-percent stake, which is managed by the Russian oil transportation company Transneft, while Kazakhstan is another major CPC shareholder, and a number of privately owned oil companies also have stakes in the consortium.