TOMSK, February 12. /TASS/. The head of Russia’s gas giant Gazprom Alexey Miller is flying to China for talks on the Western route of gas supplies from Russia to China. He made this statement at a news conference in Tomsk in Siberia.

"We will have talks on the Western route, the Altai gas pipeline. Let’s hope that we will reach the final agreement in the near future", Miller said.

In November 2014, Gazprom and China’s CNPC signed a memorandum on gas supplies from Russia to China via the Western route.

The Western route envisages gas supplies to China from gas fields in Western Siberia via the Altai gas pipeline. The start of direct supplies is scheduled for 2019.

In May 2014, Gazprom and CNPC signed a $400bln contract for gas supplies from Russia to China via the Eastern route for 30 years. The Eastern route envisages supplies of 38 bln cubic meters of gas a year via the Power of Siberia pipeline.