MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. Gazprom’s supplies to foreign countries, which are not former Soviet republic, have grown by 15% to 51 billion cubic meters (bcm) in the first quarter of 2017 in comparison to the same period in 2016, the Russian gas company said on Saturday.

"From January 1 to March 31, 2017 Gazprom supplied 51 bcm to foreign countries. Against the same period in 2016, the growth totaled over 6.6 bcm, or 15%," the company said.

Along with this, target countries increased demand for Russian gas for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project in the first quarter of 2017. In particular, exports to Austria went up by 67.9%, to Germany by 20.3%, to France by 15% and to Hungary by 32%.

Earlier reports said that in 2016, Gazprom exports to non-CIS countries grew by 12.5% and reached its historic high - 179.3 bln cubic meters of gas.

In particular, gas exports to the UK amounted to 17.8 bln cubic meters (up 59.9%), to France -11.5 bln cubic meters (18.1%), to Poland - 11.1 billion cubic meters (up 24.2%), to Austria - 6.1 bln cubic meters (by 37.9%), to the Netherlands - 4.2 bln cubic meters (by 77.1%), to Denmark - 1.7 bln cubic meters (156.2%).

Other countries also showed positive dynamics in gas imports. Gas shipments to Italy increased by 1.1% - to 24.7 bln cubic meters, to Bulgaria - by 2.1%, to 3.18 bln cubic meters, to Greece - by 35% to 2.68 bln cubic meters, to Serbia - by 4.3%, to 1.75 bln cubic meters, to Croatia - by 54.8% to 760 mln cubic meters, to Macedonia - by 56.5%, to 210 mln cubic meters.