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Deputy PM: Foreign investors hardly able to take part in Rostelecom privatization

"We cannot entrust such functions to foreigners," Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said

© Alexandra Krasnova/TASS

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. Foreign investors will hardly be able to take part in privatization of Russian state-owned Telecom operator Rostelecom, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said on Monday in an interview with Vedomosti newspaper.

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Putin urges strict control over deals on privatization of state assets

"Rostelecom is discharging functions related particularly to support of the government security in the information sphere. It is very difficult to separate this topic from the technological system of the company on the whole. If a foreign investor is meant, I am not confident we can afford this," the official said. "We cannot entrust such functions to foreigners," he added.

Privatization of each company should be viewed individually, Dvorkovich said. "Each company from sensitive sectors has its peculiarities and decisions should be found in these spheres that are not connected to foreign investors," he added.

All Russian citizens will hopefully become investors into state-owned companies in future, the official said. "I hope pension money will be such a source in future and all our citizens will actually become shareholders of such companies through pension funds, whose presence will grow gradually," Dvorkovich added.

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