Russian ambassador to Austria calls Nehammer's words about Russian gas megaphone diplomacy

The Russian side has taken note of Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer's statement in the style of "megaphone diplomacy" about the immediate termination of long-term contracts with Gazprom by the country's concern OMV. This was stated to "Izvestia" on December 13 by Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky.

The corresponding statement Nehammer made on December 11 in the social network X. He noted that the contract with Gazprom was supposed to be valid until 2040.

"Our country has never aimed to punish or blackmail Vienna or anyone else to please the political conjuncture, does not use its energy resources as an instrument of pressure. And this is true even in conditions when the Austrians are eagerly participating in all unlawful sanctions mechanisms against Russia, including freezing assets or confiscating property. On the contrary, it was our raw materials that until today de facto saved the Austrian economy, which was in deep recession, from sliding to the bottom," Lyubinsky commented.

He added that Russia and Austria were linked by decades of mutually beneficial energy cooperation - in 1968 Austria became the first country in Western Europe to conclude a natural gas supply agreement with the USSR, which for more than half a century largely ensured its economic prosperity. Thus, he emphasized, Russia has been and remains a responsible and reliable business partner that strictly fulfills its commitments, no matter how the Austrian authorities try to distort reality and mislead its own population.

"Despite the turbulent international situation and artificial restrictions, PJSC Gazprom continued to supply the volumes of blue fuel stipulated by the agreements as long as they were paid for in accordance with the contractual obligations," the diplomat noted.

It was the Austrian side that aggravated the relations, the interlocutor of the newspaper pointed out. Vienna immediately declared the multi-year gas partnership a "historical mistake" and without regard for the negative consequences for its own industry and its own population made it an end in itself to abandon it, summarized Lyubinsky. Thus Austria destroyed one of the supporting pillars of bilateral relations between the states.

"The responsibility for the decision, dictated by political background, lies entirely on official Vienna. And it will not remain without consequences. It will have to answer for this choice to its own voters and business. Russia will understandably live without gas supplies to the Republic of Austria," the Ambassador concluded.

Other European countries continue to buy Russian gas. Thus, on December 6, Serbian Prime Minister Alexander Vulin told journalists on the margins of the Verona Eurasian Economic Forum that Serbia is asking Russia to increase the volume of gas supplies under a new agreement, which is currently being developed by Moscow and Belgrade.

Prior to that, on November 15, Maksim Chirkov, associate professor at the Department of Economic Policy and Economic Measurements of the State University of Ukraine, noted the reliability of Russian gas supplies to European countries. He also pointed out that pipeline gas had become more attractive for buyers.