ST. PETERSBURG, June 1. /TASS/.  Russian President Vladimir Putin expects forces capable of appreciating relations with Russia to come to power in Germany following the upcoming election.

"I hope that people capable of appreciating this important complex of relations will lead Germany," he said at a meeting with the heads of global news outlets. "But whoever comes to power in Germany, the fundamental factors concerning our relations will continue to play a positive role," Putin added.

According to him, in some economic sectors, the two countries’ mutual dependence is really high, they provide jobs to hundreds of thousands of people both in Russia and Germany. "This is the most important factor of our co-existence," he added.

The Russian leader also said that the German companies active in Russia gained huge profits. At the same time, he pointed out that bilateral trade had begun to restore. "In the first quarter of the year, there was a growth of 40%, if I am not mistaken, which is rather big," Putin said.

He added that none of the German companies left Russia despite all the political and economic difficulties.

Putin touched upon the prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation in the energy sphere, pointing to Germany’s decision to abandon nuclear power.

"We can see that Norway is running out of the hydrocarbon resources, as well as the United Kingdom. So where are the resources?" Putin said.

He noted that Gazprom had recently announced the discovery of new gas reserves on the Yamal Peninsula. "The reserves have doubled, as there are a total of 4.2 trillion cubic meters of gas," Putin said.

According to the Russian president, partnership between Moscow and Berlin in this field is totally natural, taking into account the fact that all the technologies are established well. "If we talk about long-term contracts, they mean stable supplies which ensure Germany’s economic competitiveness," Putin added.

This year, federal election is scheduled to be held in Germany.