Moscow - A top Kremlin advisor on Monday denied political meddling in the legal struggles of TNK-BP head Robert Dudley with Russian shareholders of the joint oil venture.

"TNK-BP faces no risks whatsoever to its operations in Russia, and the shareholders must decide what to do next," Kremlin economist Arkady Dvorkovich was quoted by news agency RIA-Novosti as saying Monday.

Observers have suspected that the shareholder battle between British Petroleum (BP) and its Russian billionaire partners, as well as recent legal enquires into foreign employees working at the company preface a takeover by a Russian state firm such as Gazprom.

Dudley fled Moscow last week under pressure from Russian shareholders, but he has refused their demands to step down and vowed to run the company from abroad.

Dvorkovich termed the dispute an internal company affair and said the Russian state had no intention of getting involved. In a counter- allegation however he accused other countries of political interference.

"We have witnessed almost all major powers speaking out on the issue, which is undoubtedly an example of administrative and political resources being applied, and we all should avoid doing this," Dvorkovich told journalists Monday. (dpa)