The Swedish government's 37.3% stake in TeliaSonera is up for sale and Alfa Group has long stated that it is willing to discuss a deal that could combine its own holdings in the sector with that of a large Western telecom operator.
Odell, the minister responsible for selling the Swedish government's stake, has not met Fridman or any other representative of Alfa Group since he became minister last autumn.
Fridman and Odell will both participate at a reception arranged by the Swedish embassy in Russia later this week, which will include several other guests.
"The ministry has not been part of setting the agenda and currently no formal talks around TeliaSonera are scheduled," said spokeswoman Mia Widell.
TeliaSonera and Alfa Group jointly own Russia's No. 3 mobile telecom operator, Megafon, and both companies are also large shareholders in Turkey's largest mobile telecom operator Turkcell.
Alfa Group also has interests in several other telecom companies including Vimpel Communications in Russia and Kyivstar in Ukraine.
TeliaSonera has long wanted to increase its stakes in both Megafon and Turkcell and take control of those companies.
A deal whereby Alfa Group gets a stake in TeliaSonera in exchange for its stakes in Megafon and Turkcell has been launched by some analysts and in media reports as an option.
The government has however been unwilling to comment on what options it's exploring. Widell Monday continued to decline to provide further details on the issue.
-By Magnus Hansson, Dow Jones Newswires; +46 8 545 130 91; magnus.hansson@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires"
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