Carlsberg accused Russia of stealing assets and refused an agreement with the Russian government.
The Danish brewing concern Carlsberg cut all ties with its Russian business and refused to enter into an agreement with the Russian government to delegitimize the seizure of Russian assets. The company’s new CEO, Jacob Aarup-Andersen, announced this on Tuesday, CNN reports.
The company has been trying to sell its Baltika subsidiary in Russia since last year, as have other Western companies that fled the country following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
However, after Carlsberg announced in June that it had found a buyer for its Russian business, the following month Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the temporary withdrawal of Carlsberg’s stake in the local brewing industry. beer.
“We cannot help but accept the fact that our business in Russia has been stolen. And we do not intend to help legitimize the stolen goods,” said Aarup-Andersen.
According to him, due to limited communication with Baltic management and the Russian authorities since July, Carlsberg has not been able to find an acceptable solution to the current situation.
“We will not enter into any agreement with the Russian government that, by its very nature, justifies the illegal takeover of our business,” the CEO said.
Earlier this month, Carlsberg terminated licensing agreements for its brands in Russia, allowing Baltika to manufacture and sell all Carlsberg products in the country.
“Once the licenses expire, including the tax grace period, they won’t be able to produce every one of our products. Of course, I can’t guarantee that this will happen, but this is what we hope for,” said Aarup-Andersen .
Carlsberg in Russia has eight breweries with approximately 8,400 employees.
Let’s recall that on July 16, Putin ordered the transfer of the assets of the Danish company Carlsberg and the French Danone to Russia under temporary management. The Carlsberg Baltika subsidiary is headed by Taimuraz Bolloev, a friend of the Russian president since the 1990s. The 32-year-old nephew of the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, was appointed head of the company Danone Russia.
Source: korrespondent
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.