Siluanov: no new major deals set in Russia yet

No major deals are set in Russia for the foreseeable future, the country's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said.

"Privatization is always on the agenda," he noted, adding that there are strategic companies, including those producing raw materials. "As a rule, we have reached the limit on all of them. Stepping beyond that limit would mean the government losing the asset. That is a matter of national security," the Finance Minister stressed.

"This explains why no major deals, like last year’s sale of stakes in (the oil) companies, Rosneft and Bashneft, are set for the foreseeable future," TASS cited Siluanov as saying.

"This is always a major incentive for mobilization and more effective performance," he added,