Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak has discussed with his Norwegian counterpart Tord Lien common interests on the European gas market, Lien told journalists on the sidelines of the 15th International Energy Forum.

Lien has stated that Europe is “a very important gas consumer,” both for Norway and Russia, according to Tass.

“We discussed common interests in Europe, as it is a very important consumer [of gas] both for Norway and Russia,” Lien said when answering a TASS question on the topic of the meeting with the Russian minister.

In particular, the Russian Energy Ministry said in a statement, the sides discussed interaction of Russian and Norwegian companies in the sphere of development of Arctic oil and gas deposits and deposits with hard-to-recover reserves, as well as scientific and technical cooperation.