In a statement for public broadcaster TV Slovenija and the STA, Počivalšek said he expected from the creditor banks to pursue their business interest and thus be beneficial to Mercator.
The minister noted that the salvaging of the insolvent Agrokor by means of an extraordinary administration and a special law for the protection of the largest Croatian company was a great challenge for the Croatian economy.
Slovenia's key goal has been to enable Mercator to have within the Agrokor system a stable business environment for development and addressing of key challenges, and to protect it from the insolvent parent company, he added.
Počivalšek noted that Mercator was of great importance for the Slovenian economy, pointing to the fact that the company had around 10,000 employees and buys around EUR 500m in goods from Slovenian suppliers a year.
Mercator has been evaluated as the most valuable asset in the Agrokor conglomerate and, according to the minister, it is the best-functioning company within the system and there can be no successful salvaging of Agrokor without Mercator.
Počivalšek however noted that Mercator itself was facing major challenges, as it is still over-indebted and needs further restructuring of the business model in order to fight the competition. It also needs to overhaul its logistics, with the planned logistics centre in Ljubljana playing a key role.
Under today's settlement, the Russian Sberbank as the biggest creditor will have a 39% stake in Agrokor, and the Russian VTB bank will have an 8% stake. The minister was not able to predict the impact of the ownership by the two banks on Mercator.
He said that this would stabilise the operations of Agrokor, and that, given the communication with the two banks, the new owners are aware of Mercator's importance for the Slovenian economy.
Počivalšek reiterated that the state had no intention of entering the ownership of Mercator. It would endorse a new strategic partner and a long-term owner, or stabilisation and successful operation of Mercator within a new Agrokor.
