“If not long ago our cooperation in the gas sector could be described as short-term, Gazprom has set to reach a 15-year horizon,” Miller added.

On why Russian gas is now flowing to Central Asia and not the other way around, as it was in Soviet times, the Gazprom CEO mentioned two main reasons. First, he pointed out Moscow’s expansion of its natural resource base, which now ranks first in the world in production terms.

“Secondly, we should understand that the Central Asian countries currently develop dynamically. We understand the growth rate excellently,” he added.

Earlier, Miller revealed that Gazprom plans to expand cooperation with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan through the Central Asia-Center gas pipeline system over the next 15 years.

ef/iff/lam/gfa