Russia's Vladimir Putin said on Monday Moscow was paying close attention to recent European raids on Gazprom subsidiaries that have been linked to concern in Brussels over the continent's dependence on supplies of Siberian natural gas. Putin ordered the gas export monopoly to cooperate with European authorities, who ordered searches on units in central and eastern Europe last week as part of a probe into firms involved in the supply, transmission and storage of natural gas.
"The government of Russia will follow what is going on around Gazprom in the most attentive way," Prime Minister Putin told Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller in a meeting at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow. Ahead of the opening of Russia's 55 billion cubic metre capacity Nord Stream pipeline this week and with plans to build a massive pipeline through southern Europe, Moscow wants to keep a firm grip on one of the world's biggest gas markets.
With plans from Germany and other EU states to phase out nuclear power, Europe is likely to be more dependent than ever on its gas supplies. Miller said Gazprom, Russia's biggest company and the largest gas exporter in the world, was ready to defend its rights according to law.
The European Union's executive commission has said the raids are linked to suspicions over anti-competitive practices, and sources on both sides said they were linked to EU efforts to reduce reliance on Russian gas, which makes up about a quarter of Europe's supplies.
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