Russia's Gazprom and Austria's OMW have signed an agreement on a project to develop the Urengoy gas field in western Siberia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Saint Petersburg Wednesday.
The document was signed by Gazprom's chief executive Alexei Miller and OMV's Reiner Seele in front of the two leaders.
"I want to note the many years of fruitful cooperation with Austria in the energy field," Putin said.
For his part, Kurz praised the "fifty years of gas supplies from Russia."
"They have always been stable even in the most difficult times," he said.
Gazprom deliveries to Germany and Austria reached a historic high this year, despite EU goals to diversify its energy sources following a series of gas crises between Moscow and Kiev that affected deliveries to Europe.
Putin criticised Bulgaria, which he said was forced to abandon the Russia's South Stream pipeline under pressure from Brussels.
"Everybody knows the sad fate of the South Stream project," Putin said. "Our Bulgarian colleagues claimed that they would fight to the end for it. But in the end, under pressure from outside, they abandoned it."
"We would not like for Europe to look like Bulgaria, which showed weakness," the Russian leader added.
Brussels has also been resisting other Russian projects such as TurkStream, a pipeline planned via Turkey, and North Stream 2, via the Baltic Sea, which Gazprom justifies as necessary for the increased European demand in the future.
Russia’s Gazprom and Austria’s OMW have signed an agreement on a project to develop the Urengoy gas field in western Siberia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Saint Petersburg Wednesday.
The document was signed by Gazprom’s chief executive Alexei Miller and OMV’s Reiner Seele in front of the two leaders.
“I want to note the many years of fruitful cooperation with Austria in the energy field,” Putin said.
For his part, Kurz praised the “fifty years of gas supplies from Russia.”
“They have always been stable even in the most difficult times,” he said.
Gazprom deliveries to Germany and Austria reached a historic high this year, despite EU goals to diversify its energy sources following a series of gas crises between Moscow and Kiev that affected deliveries to Europe.
Putin criticised Bulgaria, which he said was forced to abandon the Russia’s South Stream pipeline under pressure from Brussels.
“Everybody knows the sad fate of the South Stream project,” Putin said. “Our Bulgarian colleagues claimed that they would fight to the end for it. But in the end, under pressure from outside, they abandoned it.”
“We would not like for Europe to look like Bulgaria, which showed weakness,” the Russian leader added.
Brussels has also been resisting other Russian projects such as TurkStream, a pipeline planned via Turkey, and North Stream 2, via the Baltic Sea, which Gazprom justifies as necessary for the increased European demand in the future.
