Svyazinvest may merge with MTS, Vimpelcom or MegaFon

MOSCOW, June 23 (Reuters) - Russia's Communications Minister Igor Shchyogolev said on Tuesday that the most optimal path for the development of the local telecoms sector is to merge Svyazinvest with one of the "Big Three" operators.

With a combined market share of 28-30 percent, the local sector's "Big Three" include MTS (MBT.N), Vimpelcom (VIP.N) and MegaFon.

The Nordic region's biggest telecoms operator, TeliaSonera (TLSN.ST), is a strategic investor in MegaFon. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova, writing by Simon Shuster, editing by James Kilner)