MOSCOW, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday it welcomes a $5.2 billion deal separating the Russian assets of technology company Yandex into a Russian-owned entity.
The Kremlin has been engaged in negotiations with Yandex for around 18 months to try and spin off its Russian businesses from Yandex NV, its Dutch parent company.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the company a "national champion" and a significant employer.
"This is one of the largest companies and of course it is important for us to continue the work of this company in Russia," Peskov told reporters.
"The main owner remains the company's management, Russian management, which is important. Everything else is purely corporate issues, the results of the negotiations that took place." (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan/Guy Faulconbridge)
