Russia will sell a stake in the state-owned oil giant OAO Rosneft (ROSN.RS) in 2013 only to BP PLC (BP), Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said Tuesday, the Interfax news agency reported.

"In 2013, a stake in Rosneft will be sold only in the course of the deal between Rosneft and BP," Mr. Dvorkovich told a news conference.

In October, Rosneft said it was buying their joint venture TNK-BP from BP and its partners for $55 billion in cash and shares.

The Russian government says it wants to sell its stake in Rosneft by 2016, but the company's chief executive, Igor Sechin, had indicated he expects the government to hold onto it for a longer time.

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