Russia's state-controlled gas giant OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) expects to sign a new important gas deal with energy-rich Azerbaijan next week, Chief Executive Alexei Miller said Friday.
A Russian delegation headed by President Dmitry Medvedev is due to travel to Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, next week.
"At next week's trip to Azerbaijan, we hope to reach new important deals," Miller told an annual shareholder meeting without elaborating.
Europe hopes to diversify its energy supply routes away from Russia by building the Nabucco gas pipeline to import gas from energy-rich Central Asian countries like Azerbaijan.