Dismissing a Serbian government’s announcement, Turkey’s Sabanci Holding has denied that it is one of two Turkish companies interested in participating in the privatisation of Telekom Srbija.
The Serbian ministry of trade and telecommunications…
Dismissing a Serbian government’s announcement, Turkey’s Sabanci Holding has denied that it is one of two Turkish companies interested in participating in the privatisation of Telekom Srbija.
The Serbian ministry of trade and telecommunications issued a statement yesterday saying its head Rasim Ljajic, also deputy prime minister, had held separate meetings with directors from Sabanci and fellow Turkish firm Dogus Holding in Istanbul.
Both companies expressed interest in taking part in the Telekom Srbija privatisation process as well as general investment opportunities in sectors including telecoms, energy, road infrastructure and various construction activities, according to a notice on the government website.
Representatives of the two Turkish companies intend to visit Serbia next week, where they will attend presentations on various investment opportunities, the statement continued.
However, Sabanci Holding issued its own short statement today denying that it is interested in Telekom Srbija’s privatisation, adding that there “is no such study on the agenda …”
Dogus Holding was not immediately available for comment.
The Serbian government, which values incumbent Telekom Srbija at up to €2bn (US$2.7bn), has not yet launched an official sale process for the company. Yesterday, Bloomberg cited a government spokesperson as saying no decision has been taken to sell the telco. He reportedly said there are talks on strategic partnership deals, adding that at present “it’s all about feeling the pulse of investors”.
Local media have reported that the government is expected to launch an international tender for the privatisation in September, aiming to complete a deal by the end of the year.
Serbia has already held informal talks with potential buyers from the US, Russia, Germany, Austria and Abu Dhabi, according to local reports.
The state currently has a 58.1% stake, Telekom Srbija owns 20% of its own shares and the remainder are held by the company’s employees and individual shareholders.
