MOSCOW, May 1. /TASS/. Gazprom’s gas exports to Europe increased by 19.8% in January-April, Alexei Miller, the CEO of the Russian gas giant, said on Sunday.

"According to latest updates, Gazprom’s gas exports to Europe went up in the first four months of 2016 by 19.8% on January-April 2015. The leader of the growth dynamics is Great Britain [+126.7%]," he said.

Earlier, chairman of Gazprom’s board of directors Viktor Zubkov said that Gazprom’s exports to Europe in 2016 may reach 160 billion cubic meters.

In 2015, Gazprom’s exports to Europe increased by eight percent on the previous year and reached 169.4 billion cubic meters. Thus, the 2016 exports are expected to stay about the same. In 2015, Gazprom’s exports to Germany went up by 17.1%, to Italy - by 12.6%, to France - by 36.8%, to Great Britain - by 10.2%, and to Austria - by 11.5%