Russia grants work permits for TNK-BP's foreign top managers

MOSCOW, July 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's migration authorities granted on Thursday work permits to eight foreign top managers of Russian-British joint oil venture TNK-BP, including CEO Robert Dudley, after a delay amid a shareholders' row. The number of foreign managers at TNK-BP, jointly owned by British oil major BP and a handful of Russian oligarchs, has been a focus of an ongoing recent dispute between the shareholders, who also differ on development and management strategy. Media reports earlier said that the company's foreign managers could be forced to leave Russia due to lack of work permits. Oleg Artamonov, the head of the foreign labor permit department at the Russian Federal Migration Service, told TNK-BP Vice President Clark Cridland: "The Russian work permits of six company managers were set to expire on July 10.... [read full story]