MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Gas exporting countries are not in violation of international law when they cooperate with each other, as they do not represent a cartel, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"The fairness of the principles of international and energy cooperation must be ensured. We have been cooperating for many years now. We are not forming any cartel. There never was any cartel," he said, commenting on statements made by participants in the summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.

"We are not doing anything here that would violate the principles of international law. But we certainly must exchange information, which is exactly what we are doing. We must fight for the fairness of the principles of international energy policy and for ensuring the security of gas supplies as a vital primary resource which is the basis for resolving many challenges in a wide variety of areas, which my colleagues here have already spoken about," he noted.