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ADIC inks agreement to acquire stake in Gornaya Karusel resort in Russia

  • United Arab Emirates: Saturday, June 06 - 2009 at 15:00
  • PRESS RELEASE

Abu Dhabi Investment Company has entered into an agreement to acquire a stake in the mountain resort of Gornaya Karusel, located in the Krasnaya Polyana district 30 minutes' drive from Sochi's international airport.

Gornaya Karusel which will be home to the Russian National Ski-jumping Centre from 2012 onwards, will offer over 200 kilometres of world-class ski slopes, and 28 cable lift stations. The resort will host the Olympic ski jump competition and the Olympic Alpine Media Village.

Gornaya Karusel will have 229,000 square metres of luxury Alpine chalets and 100,711 square metres of hotel-apartments and luxurious residences, restaurants, retail outlets, sports and health centers and a spa following the closing of the Winter Olympic Games. Upon completion, the resort will accommodate over 50,000 skiers per day and offer around 20,000 beds.

This investment builds on Abu Dhabi Investment Company's role in increasing investment flows between the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and the rest of the world.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for investing in Russia, in an event of as much international significance as the Olympic Games, as well as into a region of immense appeal to visitors and sports people alike,"


said H.E. Omar Saif Ghobash, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Russia who was in St. Petersburg for the 2009 International Economic Forum together with Abu Dhabi Investment Company's Chief Executive Officer Nazem Fawwaz Al Kudsi.

"On the occasion of the Economic Forum focusing on restoring confidence and value in the world economy, we are delighted to be joined by Abu Dhabi Investment Company in this important project," said Herman Gref, Chairman of Sberbank.

Al Kudsi further added: "We thank H.E. Omar Saif Ghobash for his support in enabling this landmark deal between Russia and Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Investment Company is looking forward to joining Sberbank as a shareholder in the project."

"Abu Dhabi Investment Company hopes to play an important role in the development of the project, in particular by introducing selected additional investors from the MENA region or those with significant experience of developing Olympic Games' infrastructure," Al Kudsi said.

Abu Dhabi Investment Company and Sberbank are joined by the government of the Krasnodar region, the government of the city of Sochi and other prominent partners in the project, with the financing support of Vnesheconombank.
 
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About Abu Dhabi Investment Company
Abu Dhabi Investment Company was founded in 1977 by decree of the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the U.A.E.

Owned by the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, Abu Dhabi Investment Company is at the centre of Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. and M.E.N.A. financial networks. Abu Dhabi Investment Company is closely aligned with the long-term growth objectives of the authorities of the capital of the U.A.E., and plays a key role in the diversification of regional economies, most clearly expressed in Abu Dhabi's 2030 Vision plan.

Since its establishment, Abu Dhabi Investment Company has acted as an investment arm for the Abu Dhabi government. Today Abu Dhabi Investment Company also offers its investment expertise to institutional and high net-worth investors. The company signed an agreement earlier this year to advise German private bank BHF Bank on its Middle East equities funds, and announced last month the $250m first close of a M.EN.A. infrastructure fund run jointly with Switzerland's UBS A.G.

About Sberbank
Sberbank is the largest bank in Russia and Central & Eastern Europe, with about 30% of the aggregate national banking assets. It is the key lender to the national economy. The founder and major shareholder of Sberbank is the Central Bank of the Russian Federation with over 60% of the voting stock. Sberbank's shareholders include more than 200,000 individuals and corporates. The bank operates the widest branch network in Russia with 17 regional head offices, over 20,000 branches and outlets as well as subsidiary banks in Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

About Krasnaya Polyana and its environment
The mountain resort of Gornaya Karusel is located in the Krasnaya Polyana district of the Krasnodarsky krai region of Sochi national park, 40 kilometres north of Sochi's international airport. Sochi, located in the north of the southern Russian border is hosting the XXII Winter Olympic games in 2014. Boasting a unique positioning between the Caucasus mountains and the Black Sea, Sochi is Russia's premiere winter and summer resort, attracting 10m visitors each year. The Krasnodarsky krai region in which Sochi lies, is one of the most dynamic in Russia, both in terms of the sustainable tourism that is developing there, as well in terms of the multiculturalism of its inhabitants. Over 140 different ethnic groups inhabit the region, which is esteemed for its lush forest and lake complexes and favorable Mediterranean climate. Sochi is less than 3 hours' flight from Moscow and from the international airports of the U.A.E.

For further information, please contact:

Sweety Darwish
ADIC Corporate Communications
Tel. +971 2 6296451
Fax +971 2 6655835

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