Surgutneftegaz (SNGS.RS), one of Russia's leading oil and gas companies, plans to retain its stake in Hungarian oil and gas company MOL Nyrt. (MOL.BU), Russian Deputy Prime Minister Victor Zubkov told Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai at a meeting Friday, Hungarian national daily Nepszabadsag said during the weekend.
Without citing its sources, Nepszabadsag says the Hungarian government was seeking the possibility of Surgut, which is said to be close to the Russian government, divesting its 21.2% stake in MOL. It "categorically refused" to divest its MOL stake, the paper adds.
Surgut purchased its MOL stake in March 2009 for EUR1.4 billion. MOL has repeatedly said it regards Surgut as a financial investor and denied any cooperation beyond that.