FILE PHOTO: The headquarters of Siemens AG is seen before the company's annual news conference in Munich, Germany, November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Michael Dalder/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said Siemens SIEGn.DE could not be relied upon as a partner after a clash between the German industrial group and Russian companies, RIA news agency quoted him as saying on Friday.

Last year, Siemens requested the return of gas turbines which were sent to the Crimea peninsula, annexed by Russia, in violation of European Union sanctions.

The EU and the United States imposed sanctions on two Russian high-ranking energy ministry officials and two Russian companies involved in delivering the turbines to Crimea.

“How can we work with Siemens any longer after what it did, imposing in fact sanctions on our colleagues? Unfortunately, they (Siemens) can not be a reliable partner anymore,” RIA cited Dvorkovich as saying at a forum in Krasnoyarsk.

“We are still working with them because we believe that our colleagues have time to change and hope for such a change but you can not betray our trust,” Dvorkovich said, according to RIA.

A Siemens spokesman rejected the claims the company was unreliable.

“Siemens has always been and is a reliable partner in Russia as can be seen by numerous projects we have carried out in the country,” he said.

“Of course we will always adhere to export control regulations.”