Moscow, Vienna's Interests in Energy Sector Match

VIENNA(Sputnik) — Russia and Austria's bilateral relations in the energy sector, in particular the cooperation between the companies Gazprom and OMV, are based on coinciding mutual interests, newly appointed Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky said in an interview with RIA Novosti, Wednesday.

"Austria is known as the largest gas hub in Europe. And for the Austrian government, as I understand it, it is vital that this role does not change. In this respect our interests coincide,” Lyubinsky said.

In September, OMV became a partner of Russia's Gazprom on Russia’s Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project.

According to Lyubinsky, "it shows that the partners are looking for any ways of ensuring sustainable energy security for their countries, and, more broadly, for Central Europe."

In addition to OMV, Gazprom signed shareholder agreements for the Nord Stream pipeline extension, last month, with the international energy companies BASF, E.ON, Engie and Shell.

The Nord Stream-2 project, which plans to use the original Nord Stream pipeline for 86-percent of the route before branching off, could provide up to 55 billion cubic meters of direct gas supplies from the Russian shoreline through the Baltic Sea to the coast of Germany.