ST. PETERSBURG, Ocotber 3. /TASS/. Cooperation between Austria and Russia in natural gas deliveries ensures energy security in Europe, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told a press conference after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

"We cooperate closely in the energy sphere, and I am thankful that for 50 years we have been maintaining cooperation between Austria and Russia, between Gazprom and OMV. This means energy security not only for Austria, but also for Europe," Kurz said.

OMV became the first European company to strike a deal on natural gas deliveries with USSR's Soyuznefteexport in 1968, at the height of the Cold War. Gas was then delivered from Western Siberia to a gas distribution point in Austria's Baumgarten, which now represents Austria's biggest gas center and serves as a gate for Russian gas to Western Europe. The initial volume of yearly deliveries (142 mln cubic meters) has grown by more than 64 times over the last 50 years. Since 1968, more than 218 blm cubic meteres of gas have been delivered from Russia to Austria.