Stora Enso has signed an agreement to divest its shares in Advance Agro
STORA ENSO OYJ Stock Exchange Release 18 August 2005 at 15.00
Stora Enso has signed an agreement to divest its shares in Advance Agro Stora Enso has signed an agreement to divest its 18.8% ownership of Advance Agro Public Company Limited of Thailand to private investors based in Hong Kong for USD 80 (EUR 65) million. The transaction is structured with instalment payments, the last of which is expected to be received not later than the third quarter of 2006. Enso Oyj acquired the minority shareholding in Advance Agro in 1998 in order to develop business in Thailand. Since then the emphasis in Stora Ensos fibre strategy has shifted to South America and China, which the company has identified as two of the three main emerging strategy areas, the third being Russia. Singapore-based Imprimis (Singapore) Pte Ltd was Stora Ensos advisor in the placement of the shares. For further information, please contact: Esko Mäkeläinen, CFO, tel. +44 20 7016 3115 Kari Vainio, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, tel. +44 7799 348 197 Keith B Russell, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, tel. +44 20 7016 3146 Ulla Paajanen-Sainio, Vice President, Investor Relations and Financial Communications, tel. +358 2046 21242 www.storaenso.com www.storaenso.com/investors STORA ENSO OYJ p.p. Jukka Marttila Veli-Matti Tahvanainen