OREANDA-NEWS. Alfa-Bank, the largest private credit establishment in Russia, wishes to buy Minsk Mezhtorgbank, Belarus state news agency BelTa informed.

On Thursday the president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met the owner of the Alfa-Group holding Mikhail Friedman. Friedman said that Alfa-bank basically has coordinated conditions of purchase of Mezhtorgbank with the central bank of Belarus, Reuters informed.

In the capital of Mezhtorgbank, the ninth on the size of assets among 28 banks of Belarus, Central Bank owns approximately 39 % stake, foreign shareholders - 58,5 % from which 42,5 % are supervised by Cyprian company Daltotrade Ltd, 9,3 % - British Vikash Investments Ltd.

The representative of the National Bank admitted that the Alfa-bank will redeem shares of the states, as well as other shareholders; besides, additional issue is possible.

Earlier, Lukashenko has signed a decree about sale of a package belonging to the state - 48,6 % in Belvnesheconombank to the Russian Vnesheconombank, which assumes to reach the control having redeemed shares of non-state shareholders.

Minsk also is waiting for fast completion of the transaction within the frameworks of which Russian VTB buys the control in Belarus Slavneftebank. The president of Belarus said he is holding negotiations with Alfa for a long while.

"We already twice have addressed to purchase of control share holding in Mezhtorgbank by you... It is favourable to us that such bank as you, was presented in our country", Lukashenko said to Friedman.