Gazprom, Eni: Secure Step In Libya

The world's biggest natural gas extractor Gazprom is willing to secure energy assets in Libya alongside Italian oil company Eni.

This step would open the gas extracting giant a free path to north African oil and gas fields and fortify its positions on European markets. Europe receives about a quarter of its natural gas from Gazprom and starts looking at north Africa as an alternative to Russia.

Eni, the main foreign operator in Libya is not against Russia grabbing a piece of the Africa's "gas pie".

Wednesday Eni Chief Executive Paolo Scaroni met Gazprom head Alexei Miller and discussed over upstream joint projects in other countries.

An Eni spokeswoman declined to comment on the newspaper story. Eni and Gazprom signed a strategic partnership in November 2006.