www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-18/...mov-s-uralkali-stake.html
Prokhorov’s Onexim Agrees to Buy Kerimov’s Uralkali Stake
By Yuliya Fedorinova - Nov 18, 2013 9:38 AM
Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov’s Onexim Group agreed to buy Suleiman Kerimov’s 21.75 percent stake in OAO Uralkali, the world’s largest potash producer.
The parties expect the transaction to close shortly, Moscow-based Onexim said in a statement today. The deal requires no regulatory approval and the terms are confidential, it said. The stake was valued at $3.5 billion at share prices before the announcement.
A sale by Kerimov may defuse a dispute between Russia and Belarus sparked by Uralkali’s July withdrawal from a partnership that marketed 40 percent of global potash exports. The falling-out and Uralkali’s plan to boost production roiled the $20 billion market for the soil nutrient. Belarus has called for a change in the company’s ownership before a reconciliation is possible.
“The purchase of the stake in Uralkali is a long-term investment in a company that is unique,” Onexim Chief Executive Officer Dmitry Razumov said in the statement. “We are certain that the potash industry has strong fundamentals.”