BERLIN, June 1 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia remains a reliable gas supplier of Europe, German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel said after negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

“We think that Russia is a reliable gas supplier. We have been witnessing that for decades; a lot of European companies have long-term contracts with Russia. Nord Stream has transformed from a German-Russian project into a Russian-European project,” she said.

“The Council of Baltic Sea States has just held a meeting in Stralsund, Germany, and we have discussed the issue with all the member states,” she said. “Criticism of Russia [as a gas supplier] has declined, practically, to zero. Russia is a reliable supplier of gas.”