Russia's Polyus Gold CEO says interested in firm remaining public

By Lidia Kelly

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - Pavel Grachev, the chief executive of Russia's biggest gold producer Polyus Gold said on Friday that it is in the company's interest to remain publicly traded, but he declined to comment on a possible buyout offer by the firm's largest stakeholder.

On Wednesday, Said Kerimov, son of Russian tycoon and parliamentarian Suleiman Kerimov, who controls 40.2 percent of Polyus, said he may announce a buyout offer for the remaining shares.

Grachev confirmed that the company is aware of the offer, but declined to comment.

"We are interested in remaining a public company," Grachev said in an interview on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's city of Vladivostok.

Separately, Grachev said that the company's talks on cooperation with China National Gold are at an "advanced" stage, but would give no further detail.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly; editing by Katya Golubkova)