Telenor says now has "pragmatic" view of Vimpelcom stake

OSLO Nov 1 (Reuters) - Norwegian telecoms operator Telenor would take a "pragmatic" stance if it received a bid for its 43-percent stake in Vimpelcom, a spokesman said on Thursday.

"It depends on whether somebody is interested in buying. It is a large stake worth somewhere between 35 and 40 billion Norwegian crowns ($6.13-$7.01 billion)," Telenor spokesman Dag Melgaard said.

"What we are saying now is that if there is a bid, we will have a pragmatic stance," he added.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman's Altimo earlier this week bought a 6 percent stake in Vimpelcom from a vehicle of Ukrainian tycoon Viktor Pinchuk, becoming the largest shareholder with 47.85 percent of the shares.