MOSCOW, April 11. /TASS/. Rosneft denies information that it requested limiting BP’s abilities to increase its stake in the Russian oil major within privatization framework. The Russian company made such a statement on Monday.

"Information contained in the article titled 'Sechin requests government to protect Rosneft from BP' is false and represents ungrounded airy dreams of journalists or their so-called sources." Our partnership with BP, the largest minority shareholders of the company, is of strategic, long-term and trust-based nature. Both sides repeatedly expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation and efficiency of its results," Rosneft said.

Rosneft also requested "to disprove false data posted on the RBC website and circulated by other mass media."

"Cases are rare when we are dealing with burning phantasies. All that [in the article - TASS] was simply a journalists’ invention. How can a company purchase a strategic asset without a regulator’s permit? This cannot take place," Rosneft’s Vice President Mikhail Leontiev told TASS.

The government intends to sell stakes in Rosneft, Bashneft, VTB, Alrosa and Sovcomflot in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in January

BP currently holds 19.75% of shares in Rosneft.