The Foreign Ministry called the claims of the head of Carlsberg an attempt to withdraw profits from Russia

Anti-Russian statements by the head of the Danish holding Carlsberg Group that the Russian authorities “stole” the company’s business in the Russian Federation look like an attempt to cover up the holding’s plans to leave the Russian market and withdraw all earned profits, stated official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

Formerly Carlsberg CEO Jakob Aarup-Andersen stated, that ties with the Russian brewing company of the holding have been severed, and any deal with the Russian authorities that would “justify the illegal takeover of the business” is impossible. Commenting on the situation with the Baltika brewing company, owned by the Carlsberg Group, Zakharova recommended studying the decrees of Russian President Vladimir Putin and statement Ministry of Finance. She recalled that Baltika is not owned by the state, and shares in the authorized capital have been transferred to the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency.

“The statements by the head of the concern look like an attempt to cover up with decisions of the Russian authorities Carlsberg’s intention to leave the Russian market, simultaneously bankrupting Russian companies and withdrawing all profits earned in Russia. Aarup-Andersen’s anti-Russian accusations are unfounded and do not correspond to the status of the head of an international concern,” the Foreign Ministry believes.

In July, Putin signed a decree on the transfer of Baltika shares owned by Carlsberg Group structures to temporary state management. Taimuraz Bolloev was appointed president of the company, who led it from 1991 to 2004. After this, the Carlsberg Group reported that the change of management at the Russian enterprise occurred without the knowledge or approval of the holding. The actions of the Russian authorities in the company were called “illegal seizure.”

On October 4, the Danish holding announced that it had notified Baltika of the termination of licensing agreements for the production and sale of products under the group’s international and regional brands. Later, Baltika obtained an injunction for Carlsberg to terminate the licensing agreements. On October 31, Carlsberg, in its report for the third quarter, announced the write-off of assets associated with Baltika.

Interfax with reference to sources wrotethat Carlsberg requires the Russian authorities to compensate for damages due to the failure of the deal to sell the brewing company. The Danish concern announced the decision to sell Baltika at the end of June this year. The name of the buyer was not specified, as were the parameters of the transaction. According to Interfax, Arnest Group might be interested in buying the company. The probable transaction amount is 71 billion rubles.