American-Russian clutter over Agrokor

Croatia has never suffered from excess sovereignty. They simply say that it is too small to be a factor on the European, let alone on the world political scene, and this is no longer the time of the two blocks, and, they say, it would not help much to engage non-aligned and Josip Broz Tito. Just so things stand, they pierce our ears for almost three decades, and as grace from the sky we accept when the big ones turn to us, regardless of what kind of demands. This is particularly true for large Western countries, above all the United States. On their migrants, Croatia jumps to its hind legs and waves its tail more heartily than Tito's poodles did on the marshal's call.

The last example is a statement by a new US Ambassador to Robertson, who this week at a business lunch organized by the American Chamber of Commerce "forgot" all the US proclaimed policies of liberal liberal ideology to the free market, for which America basically pleads, and started arguing in order to Agrokor shriveled should look in the future. There is no longer a mantra that the state has nothing to interfere in economic relations, how the market will only be edited and how entrepreneurs should be allowed to do their job. Much of what was left of what we were taught us so diligently all these years.

Not Kohorst, of course, accidentally changed the board. The problem is that if the creditors accept the settlement, more than 40 percent of Agrokor's ownership will go to Russian banks, and the fact that Sberbank and VTB bank control one of the largest regional companies does not exactly fit into the plans they have with the region .

Russians do not give up

That is why a close friend of Donald Trump, who knew no where Croatia was right, when he decided on his ambassador's mandate, recalled that he would propose a replacement solution by which the state should arrange that none of the credit groups in Agrokor can hold more than 10 percent of voting rights , so that this should be read carefully - avoid the consequences of bad decisions that individuals or groups may bring against the higher quality of joint decision-making of a larger number of people with a financial stake.

Asked by selected journalists, AmCham invited him to lunch, whether he thinks about the growing influence of Russian capital, Kohorst said he does not have numbers, but "he would not be surprised that investors from the US are predominantly in this area." Not Kohorst mentioned Knighthead, nor other American so-called. The leasing funds that they invested in then had already collapsed the group, in order to get out of it, which can be extracted.

Russia's response arrived very quickly. Their ambassador, Anwar Azimov, immediately after the Zagreb-Sankt Petersburg Economic Forum immediately stood by "their banks" and asked the American counterpart why their banks did not save Agrokor. He called, this also is not unimportant to know, internal and external forces that do not place obstacles Sberbank, especially brushing on Kohorsta of which is still, as a businessman, not a career diplomat, he found understanding for the mistake it had made.

Basically, the Russians apparently does not occur to give up the intention of taking over a large part of the companies, Americans can think of to them to leave, but Croatia can not think of what to do with regard to the like because Lex Agrokor and government intervention could be faced with the millions of lawsuits of the angry part of the creditors who feel dazed in the subdivisions of any thin Agrokor cake.

Our ideas, your gasoline

In addition, or just because of who, who would know it, in parliament, in an urgent procedure, in only one reading, he found a debate around the so-called. Lex LNG, a law regulating the construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal on Krk. It is a public secret that Americans who would flout through the floating terminal to Croatia not only their own technology but sell gas would also be tempted to sit on the russia and Gazprom, which for years has been the main gas supplier in Croatia . And not only in Croatia, but also wider.

Ambassador Kohorst praised the project, primarily due to energy diversification in Southeast Europe. He only said that "there is a possibility that the United States will sell a certain amount of gas to that terminal," but that there is no focus on it, but on diversification, stability and so on.

Against the floating terminal, the entire Kvarner was raised. Ecological associations warn of the danger of polluting the sea from chlorine used in the process, urbanists say that the terminal is not envisaged by the spatial plan of Omisalj, and economists believe that the law, to be voted on Wednesday, foresees that the concession will be given to 99 years with the provision that Croatia as a state is obliged to pay compensation to the user if he does business with the loss ?! And given the price of that gas, it's already quite certain that it will be.

So, a little left from the free market, strengthening the business climate, improving the business conditions and everything that has already been mentioned. The rest, in fact, is nothing. There was already the motto of Ostap Bender that had already been exhausted: Our ideas, your gasoline!

• 10 Jun, 2018
• 2326 views