28th Feb 2012 11:05
SISTEMA SENDS A NOTICE TO THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA TO SETTLE DISPUTE RELATING TO THE REVOCATION OF SSTL'S LICENSES
Moscow, Russia - February 28, 2012 - Sistema JSFC ("Sistema") (LSE:SSA), the largest diversified public financial corporation in Russia and the CIS, announces that it has today sent a formal notice to The Republic of India notifying it of a dispute under the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of India arising from the decision of the Supreme Court of India issued on February 2, 2012, regarding the cancellation of 122 telecom licenses, including 21 licenses belonging to Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd ("SSTL"), in which Sistema owns a 56.68% share. Sistema believes that the cancellation of SSTL's licenses following Sistema's investment of billions of dollars into the Indian cellular sector is contrary to India's obligations under the BIT, including obligations to provide investments with full protection and security and obligations not to expropriate investments.
The formal notice requests The Republic of India to settle the dispute relating to the revocation of SSTL's 21 telecom licenses in an amicable way within six months. If the dispute is not amicably resolved by August 28, 2012, Sistema reserves the right to commence proceedings against The Republic of India as provided in the BIT.
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For further information, please visit www.sistema.com or contact:
Investor Relations Evgeniy Chuikov Tel.: +7 (495) 692 1100 | Public Relations Vsevolod Sementsov Tel.:+7 (495) 730 1705 |
Sistema is the largest diversified public financial corporation in Russia and the CIS, which invests in and is a major shareholder of companies serving over 100 million customers in the sectors of telecommunications, high technology, oil and energy, radars and aerospace, banking, retail, mass-media, tourism and healthcare services. Founded in 1993, the company reported revenues of US$ 9.0 billion for the third quarter of 2011, and total assets of US$ 42.7 billion as at September 30, 2011. Sistema's global depository receipts are listed under the symbol "SSA" on the London Stock Exchange. Sistema's ordinary shares are listed under the symbol "AFKS" on the MICEX-RTS Stock Exchange, and under the symbol "SIST" on the Moscow Stock Exchange (MSE). Sistema was ranked number 342 in the 2010 edition of the Fortune Global 500 list. Website: www.sistema.com
Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Sistema. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "will," "could," "may" or "might" the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, general economic conditions, our competitive environment, risks associated with operating in Russia, rapid technological and market change in our industries, as well as many other risks specifically related to Sistema and its operations.
This document does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, any shares or other securities of JSFC Sistema and/or any of its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, nor shall any part of it nor the fact of its distribution form part of or be relied on in connection with any contract or investment decision relating thereto, nor does it constitute a recommendation regarding the shares or securities of JSFC Sistema and/or any of its subsidiaries and affiliated companies.
Copyright Business Wire 2012
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