Moscow welcomes purchase of controlling block of shares of steel water company by Norilsky Nickel

The government of the Russian Federation welcomes the deal on the purchase of the controlling block of shares of the Steel Water company of the USA by Norilsky Nickel.

"It is certainly possible to speak of a tendency to conquer new markets," Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation German Gref said in the conversation with journalists on Wednesday. According to him, it is not the first transaction of this kind but it is possibly the largest one with the American side.

The Minister stressed that the Russian government participated in the creation of conditions for making this deal. In particular, interaction with the U.S. government in connection with the necessity to receive quite a number of permissions was ensured. "The U.S. administration views this deal as a positive example of cooperation between our countries, of the mutual penetration into the two countries' economies," Gref said. The Minister also expressed hope that this tendency would grow stronger as a result of such transactions in other branches.