MOSCOW, July 01. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian gas giant Gazprom’s exports to the EU increased by 2.8% on the year to 82.88 billion cubic meters in January-June, CEO Alexei Miller said in a news conference on Tuesday.

“In the first half of 2014, Gazprom supplied 82.88 billion cubic meters of gas to non-CIS countries. This is a 2.8% increase on the year even given the fact that 2013 was a record year in the company’s history,” Miller said.

“This visually demonstrates that foreign consumers continue to choose Russian gas,” he said.

In 2013, Russia’s gas exports to the EU stood at 161.48 billion cubic meters, a 16.3% increase on the year.