"Vladimir Putin knows very well and has to accept certain rules of our European internal market (…). Our Russian partners understand our rules and I think it is feasible that they will accept them," the commissioner told Vilnius journalists.
"At the end of the day, we want to continue our relationship with Gazprom on a market based on fundamental and equal conditions for all member-states," Oettinger said at a joint news conference with Lithuania's Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius.
At the same time, the commissioner said that the European Commission's (EC) inquiry into suspected violations of competition rules was "not an instrument against Gazprom."
"Russia is our most important partner because we import its oil, coal, uranium, gas. Russia is the most important player for us. But what we need is a level playfield. What we need is fair conditions,” said the commissioner, adding that “gas price in Berlin or Paris is much lower than in Vilnius."
