MOSCOW (Sputnik) – He stressed the importance of the Austrian oil and gas company OMV's involvement in the project.
"We will make contact with Gazprom in the course of our visit. We will mainly discuss economic issues related to Nord Stream-2. Austria has a special interest in this project, it is very important for us to diversify [our] gas supplies," Mitterlehner told reporters.
OMV and Gazprom signed a separate agreement on the terms and conditions of a possible asset swap, giving the Austrian firm a 24.98-percent stake in a project to develop two units at an oil, gas and condensate field in north-central Russia.
Mitterlehner directed queries relating to the possible asset swap to the companies, adding that "these issues should be addressed first and foremost by the leadership of the respective companies."
OMV CEO Rainer Seele, who is among the Austrian business leaders accompanying Mitterlehner on the trip to Moscow, has suggested that an asset swap agreement with Gazprom could be finalized this summer. The company is said to have identified three of its assets for the exchange.
The Nord Stream-2 project plans to use the original Nord Stream pipeline for 86 percent of the route before branching off. It is estimated to provide up to 55 billion cubic meters of gas directly to the German coast through the Baltic Sea.
