Germany will increase gas imports from Russia in the future if only Russia's deliveries are reliable, German Economy Minister Michael Glos said on Monday.

Russia, which assumed the presidency of the Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations this month, cut off gas supplies to Ukraine on Sunday after Kiev rejected its demand for a steep increase in the gas price.

The move aroused fears of insecurity in the energy sector in some European countries as gas supplies via Ukraine to Europe began to drop dramatically after Russia's cutoff of deliveries.

Glos told the German radio station WDR that Russia had an obligation to act responsibly in the dispute. "Russia has the G8 presidency and also here (in this dispute) one should naturally act responsibly."

"Thirty percent of our gas comes from Russia at the moment. That should be increased," Glos said. "But it can only be increased if we know that deliveries from the east are dependable."

Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder made it at the top of his government's agenda to strengthen energy ties between Berlin and Moscow.

He and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a deal last year to build a Russian-German gas pipeline which would bypass Poland and the Baltic states.

The new government of Angela Merkel has promised a more balanced approach with Russia.

About three quarters of Germany's gas supplies comes from Russia via Ukraine.

Source: Xinhua