MOSCOW, April 2 (PRIME) - Russian gas giant Gazprom and the EU have agreed that mutually beneficial bilateral relations need to be preserved, reaffirming their common interests at a meeting in Brussels, according to a statement by Gazprom.
The meeting with European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger and Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was initiated by the head of Gazprom, Alexei Miller.
"The parties affirmed their interest in preserving bilateral relations that have been built over several decades of fruitful cooperation to achieve mutual benefits," Gazprom's statement said.
The meeting also addressed broader areas of cooperation. "In particular, Gazprom was noted to be not only Europe's largest supplier of gas, with 40 years of reliable deliveries, but also the single largest investor of the gas infrastructure of Europe," the statement said.
A spokesperson of the Commissioner's press service told RIA Novosti on Tuesday that the security of Europe's gas supply from Russia was also on the agenda.
The talks of the two countries' economic chiefs came amid heightened international political tensions. The sanctions against Russia over re-joining with Crimea, actively advocated by the US, have a potential negative impact on the entire global economy. As exemplified by the Brussels meeting the corporate players understand the high priority of immediate economic needs over political disagreements.
