Even in Russia, however, new competitive threats are starting to emerge as Western oil firms have bought interests in Russian oil companies. LUKOIL, however, views foreign oil companies to be a stiffer threat than domestic competition: They are valuable sources of the technology and knowledge that must be competed with at home and abroad. With this strategy in mind, it has placed independent directors form Western oil companies on its board, used ConocoPhillips's management expertise when it owned 20 percent of the company, and has established several partnerships abroad, such as with Norway's statoil. Meanwhile, foreign acquisitions, such as Getty in the United States, present another source of experienced personnel, technology, and competitive know-how.