Gazprom CEO Praises Putin's Role in Talks With China Over Power of Siberia

Head of Russian energy giant Gazprom Alexei Miller praised President Vladimir Putin's role in talks with Chinese gas company CNPC on Power of Siberia pipeline.

"Vladimir Putin's personal contribution in the negotiations between Gazprom and CNPC was a decisively important factor in the talks on the eastern route [pipeline]," Miller said at a press conference on Friday.

In 2014, Russia and China signed a 30-year gas supply contract that will see the construction of the East-Route Pipeline, also known as the Power of Siberia, which will provide China with 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, starting in 2018.

This year the agreement was ratified by the Russian government and President Putin.

He also said that the issue of the contract price for the supply of gas to China via the western route would be decided at the end of the negotiation process, when the sides agree on other details of the deal.

"Work on the Power of Siberia-2 is conducted in the ordinary course, the parties are not holding talks on the price. This is the last question to be raised by analogy with the eastern route. The issue of the price will be solved the latest, when all the conditions of the contract are already agreed upon. I think that like last time it [the price issue] will be 'for dessert,'" Miller said.

According to Gazprom Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev, China will begin the construction of its leg of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline on June 29.