Gazprom Chief Heads to Athens for Energy Talks

The head of Russian gas giant Gazprom Alexei Miller will be in Athens on Tuesday for talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, the Greek energy ministry said in a statement on Monday.

They are due to discuss "current energy issues of interest," the ministry said. Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kuprianov confirmed Miller's visit.

During talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month, Tsipras expressed interest in Greece's participation in a pipeline that would bring Russian gas to Europe via its territory.

Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou and Elizabeth Piper