MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. Rosneft is hoping the government will allow it to export natural gas by pipeline, Didier Casimiro, the company’s first vice president, told the Vedomosti newspaper.

The government is considering the proposal, which was made at a meeting held by President Vladimir Putin, Casimiro said. "We are hoping very much that the decision on this issue will be positive," he said.

Rosneft is seeking to export 10 bcm of natural gas by signing an agent agreement with export monopoly Gazprom, according to Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov.

Rosneft also plans to increase the share of gas in its fossil fuel production from to 20% to 25% of the total, Casimiro said.