Rosneft, which is headed by Igor Sechin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has long sought to rent the Ropsha Palace southwest of St Petersburg as part of a long-term deal. The once lavish palace, set in parkland, served as a residence for Russia's imperial Romanov dynasty before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and was later nationalized. Deputy Culture Minister Alla Manilova, who championed the bill in parliament on Tuesday, said she would discuss the possibility of a concession deal with Rosneft for the palace.
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