Gazprom, ENI talk energy security

MOSCOW, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Gazprom chief Alexei Miller met with his counterpart at Italy's ENI to discuss diversifying the European energy sector with the South Stream gas pipeline.

Paolo Scaroni, the chief executive officer at ENI, met with Miller at the Moscow headquarters of the Russian energy giant.

Both parties addressed the importance of moving forward under a strategic partnership agreement reached in 2007 to deliver Russian gas to Italy.

Gas supplies to Italy are scheduled to reach 105 billion cubic feet per year by 2010.

Scaroni and Miller also expressed their "unanimous opinion" that the South Stream gas pipeline was a key component of energy security in the region, Gazprom said.

"Due to gradual depletion of reserves on the continent, it will be impossible to meet the European gas demand in a sustainable manner without additional Russian gas supply routes, including the South Stream," said Miller.

Around 80 percent of all Russian gas for Europe travels through Soviet-era pipelines in Ukraine. A January gas dispute between Kiev and Moscow disrupted European gas supplies for weeks, prompting a push to diversify the energy sector.

South Stream would bring gas from Russia and Central Asia to the Balkans and other parts of Europe.