Russian state oil company Zarubezhneft wants to buy Austrian oil company OMV's filling stations in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina , Zarubezhneft General Director Nikolai Brunich said on Wednesday.
"We have sent a letter with a proposal (to OMV). We are interested in these projects. If there is an adequate price and constructive talks with OMV, we will try not to delay (a deal)," Brunich told reporters.
The Russian company plans to invest about one billion euros in its projects in Croatia in the next five years, Croatia's T-portal news web-site said last week quoting Brunich. Zarubezhneft has set up a consortium with Swiss service firm White Falcon Holding and Croatian oil pipeline operator JANAF to implement projects in Croatia.
That includes construction of oil pipeline running from Slavonski Brod to Zagreb and to Omisalj to export oil products that have not been sold in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
Zarubezhneft also wants to participate in exploration of nine hydrocarbon deposits in Croatia and is likely to invest 100 million euros in the project. It is also interested in projects to update JANAF's infrastructure, particularly its transportation and storage facilities.
If Zarubezhneft wins a tender to develop the deposits, it might cooperate with Serbia's NIS oil company, controlled by Gazprom Neft, an oil arm of Russian gas giant Gazprom, in deposits' development, Brunich added.
