Representatives of the government of Qatar, which remained the last bidder for the acquisition of assets of the Russian state oil company PJSC Rosneft, arrested in Germany, held talks in Berlin last week. This is reported by foreign media.
After the visit of the Qatari delegation, the German Ministry of Economy stated that the government intends to make a decision on the Russian assets of Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing GmbH, introduced in September 2022, taking into account the expiration of the external management period introduced in September 2022 until September 10, 2024, and its extension until March 2025.
The Qatari government maintains good relations with Russia, as the Qatar Investment Authority owns 19% of Rosneft shares. Indian Reliance Industries was among the contenders for the acquisition of Rosneft's assets, but refused to participate in the auction.
The proposed deal should complete the long process of finding solutions for Rosneft enterprises that came under external control in Germany after the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which caused the energy crisis in Europe. The potential buyer must be a resident of a non-EU country in order to avoid financing problems related to sanctions.
The German Federal government has so far refrained from confiscating Rosneft's assets in three German refineries and is extending the term of external management.
In September 2022, the German federal government placed Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing GmbH under the management of the Federal Grid Agency, which gained control of shares in three refineries – PCK in Schwedt, Miro in Karlsruhe and Bayernoil in Vogburg (Germany). The Schwedt plant supplies petroleum products to most of the east of Germany, including Berlin airport.
On March 14, 2023, a court in Germany rejected Rosneft's lawsuit against the German government, supporting the transfer of its assets under external management. The appeal filed by Rosneft in August 2022 also remained unanswered.
In December 2023, Rosneft filed a constitutional complaint with the German Federal Administrative Court against the transfer of its subsidiaries under the external management of the German Federal Grid Agency.
PJSC Rosneft is the largest Russian state–owned oil and gas company, the blocking stake of which belongs to the state-owned JSC Rosneftegaz. Since 2014, the company has been under sanctions and restrictive measures of the European Union, the United States and a number of other countries. The company's headquarters are located in Moscow.
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