TALLINN - Press reports have speculated that Economy and Communications Minister Andrus Ansip, who is believed to be the most likely candidate for Estonia's new prime minister, would be more inclined to sell the state's shareholding in Eesti Telekom than the previous Cabinet of Juhan Parts.
The Aripaev business daily wrote that Ansip, who leads the right-wing Reform Party, doesn't believe the government should keep its 27.17 percent holding in the telecommunication company.
"For the current price level I already consider it sensible to start talks with the majority owner about selling," Ansip was quoted as saying.
He also suggested that the current price 's 132.21 kroons (8.57 euros) per share, a record high 's had to do with speculation that Eesti Telekom shares were being consolidated by TeliaSonera.
"One also has to keep in mind that this price increase is partially caused by the anticipation that TeliaSonera is willing to buy out small shareholders," Ansip said.
Last spring the Swedish-Finnish telecommunications company offered to pay the government 111.3 kroons per share, a proposal that the Parts government flatly rejected for being too low.
Finance Minister Taavi Veskimagi said that since TeliaSonera has not made any new offers, the state hasn't changed its position either.
"We have no reason right now to sell the stake in Eesti Telekom, but if someone's offering a good price we are of course ready to ponder selling," Veskimagi, a member of Res Publica, said.
At the current price the government would earn some 5 billion kroons (320 million euros) if it chooses to sell.
TeliaSonera currently holds 50.26 percent of Eesti Telekom. It has made two cash offers for minority holders, both of which were below the market price and failed. The last offer was in February at 109.84 kroons per share, and the company managed to cull together less than 1 percent of Eesti Telekom stock.
According to the Finance Ministry and McKinsey, a consultancy, the fair price is 133.5 kroons a share.
