The Russian opportunity and investments by international companies: The oil paradox

The early days of 2003 saw Russia and its oil sector drawing the attention of international investors, as evidenced by the joint venture between BP and TNK, Exxon Mobil's plans regarding Yukos or Shell's. Some people saw in those agreements or plans the signs of a normalisation of the Russian economy, particularly in terms of property rights. The arresting of Mr. Khodorkovsky, the chairman of Yukos, put a sudden stop to such optimism and comes as a reminder of a few realities. Despite the progresses made, the economic and institutional environment of the country is still unstable, as shown by the questioning of the Production Sharing Agreement Act or the increasingly demanding access to oil resources. The BP TNK agreement is not a reproducible investment model. If there is some opening, it will be on the terms set by the Russian government.