MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia is fully satisfied with its cooperation with Austria in the gas sector and hopes it will develop further, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
On Friday, Putin met with Rainer Seele, the CEO of the Austrian OMV oil and gas company, in Moscow.
"Not only are we satisfied with our cooperation, but we are willing to develop it further for the sake of our countries, Europe and Russia, in hopes that we shall strengthen it," Putin said at talks with Rainer Seele.
Putin described the OMV as "a seasoned reliable partner" with the first contracts concluded 50 years ago. The existing contract expires in 2028.
"Austria is not just an important consumer of our gas but is also the biggest transit country — 30 billion cubic meters of gas are transited via Austria mainly thanks to your company," the president noted.
On Thursday, Russian energy giant Gazprom’s said that gas exportation to Austria increased by 69.9 percent on April 1-19, 2017, compared to the same period last year.
According to Putin, "Austria has turned into the largest global hub, and the name of Baumgarten [a major gas storage] is known all over the world".
