WASHINGTON, September 28 (RIA Novosti, Alexei Berezin) - All limitations on trade in shares of Gazprom, Russia's gas monopoly, will be abolished in 2006, the minister of economic development and trade said in Washington Wednesday.
German Gref, who is in the American capital to negotiate Russia's joining the World Trade Organization, said the issue concerned canceling quotas for selling Gazprom shares to non-residents and limitations on open trade in its shares.
Currently, non-residents can only hold 20% of the company's shares and Gazprom cannot list its shares on foreign stock exchanges.
"We expect the relevant amendments to be adopted in 2005," Gref said, following his talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Portman, but declined to elaborate on the mechanism and the timeframe of the process.
Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said Tuesday that the liberalization would be finalized by year's end.
