“Russia has a competitive edge in natural gas supplies to Europe and will maintain this edge for years to come,” Jean-Francois Cirelli said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
“Relations between Russia and Europe should get better with time, not sour over energy issues,” he added.
On Thursday Russia’s Gazprom and ENGIE discussed the need for new routes of direct gas supplies to Europe and the role of non-transit pipelines, Gazprom’s press service said in a statement.
“We discussed the future of natural gas in Europe, including Russian gas, and we are positive that Russian gas has a big future in Europe,” Sirelli said.