Russ Oil-Gas

26 February 2007 - Upstream onLine - Russian gas monopoly Gazprom is expected to meet with executives of Japanese companies to discuss technical partnerships and fund-raising this week Sources familiar with the situation told Reuters the talks coincide with a visit by Russia's Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko, who arrived on Monday trailed by an entourage of Russian bankers and businessmen to kick off talks on a range of issues. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov arrives on Tuesday. Gazprom President Alexei Miller is also due to arrive on Tuesday and is likely to meet with the heads of Mitsui and Mitsubishi, which agreed in December to sell part of their stakes in the Sakhalin 2 project to cede control to Gazprom, the sources said. Miller last month met with Harufumi Mochizuki, Japan's top energy policymaker, to discuss ways to attract Japanese funds and technology to develop Russia's gas processing, gas chemicals and machine-building facilities. The head of Gazprom-controlled Gazprombank, which is Russia's third-largest bank, will also be in Tokyo this week to discuss plans to borrow some $3 billion on international markets, a government source said.