OMV and Gazprom signed a Memorandum of Understanding on joint cultural projects

Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Rainer Seele, OMV Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of joint cultural projects today.

Alongside the more than 50-year history of cooperation in the energy sector, OMV and Gazprom have been successfully involved in various cultural projects that benefit society, which both have agreed to continue in 2019 and 2020.

The document signed outline the general principles for potential cooperation between OMV and Gazprom. In the year 2019, both intend to implement the following joint cultural projects: Firstly a musical-visual performance "Imperial Capitals: St. Petersburg – Vienna. 20th Century", which is dedicated to Russian and Austrian art of the 20th century, planned for October 3, 2019. Secondly, a children's opera in the Wiener Staatsoper – an event with a strong social aspect to benefit disadvantaged children, planned for December 22, 2019.

Rainer Seele, OMV Chairman of the OMV Executive Board and CEO: “The basis of our good and long lasting relations comes from an energy partnership going back more than 50 years. Now, jointly, we want to go beyond this purely economic relationship and take responsibility for deepening the mutual understanding of our cultures, thereby contributing to the promotion of better understanding among people.”

Background information:

OMV Aktiengesellschaft
OMV produces and markets oil and gas, innovative energy and high-end petrochemical solutions – in a responsible way. With Group sales of EUR 23 bn and a workforce of more than 20,000 employees in 2018, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. In Upstream, OMV has a strong base in Romania and Austria as part of the Central and Eastern Europe core region as well as a balanced international portfolio, with Russia, North Sea, Middle East and Africa as well as Asia-Pacific as further core regions. 2018 daily production stood at approximately 427,000 boe/d. In Downstream, OMV operates three refineries with a total annual processing capacity of 17.8 mn tons and more than 2,000 filling stations in ten countries. OMV runs gas storage facilities in Austria and Germany; its subsidiary Gas Connect Austria GmbH operates a gas pipeline network in Austria. In 2018, gas sales volumes amounted to around 114 TWh. Sustainability is an integral part of the corporate strategy. OMV is set to invest EUR 500 mn in innovative energy solutions by 2025.

OMV Cultural Sponsoring 
As one of Austria's largest listed industrial companies, OMV also has a responsibility towards society. This is why it is proactively involved in initiatives that benefit society as well as in sports and cultural projects. In the cultural sphere, OMV supports renowned cultural institutions in Austria and promotes cultural exchanges between Austria and the core OMV regions. OMV has been the general sponsor of the Wiener Staatsoper since 2014. In addition to this, it is a longstanding partner of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, of the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Leopold Museum and the Austrian National Library.

OMV and Gazprom: Joint cultural projects
In 2016, OMV and Gazprom decided to complement their economic cooperation with joint cultural projects. The goal of this cultural dialog is to encourage and support dialog between Russia and Austria and this commitment has already facilitated a range of events in Russia and Austria. In recent years, renowned Austrian and Russian artists performed together at a gala concert in the St. Petersburg Philharmonic – including members of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Theater and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Russia under Yuri Bashmet. In fall 2017, there was a major Rubens exhibition in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna for which three works by Peter Paul Rubens traveled from the St. Petersburg State Hermitage to Austria’s capital at the invitation of OMV and GAZPROM. In 2018, masterpieces from the Hermitage – including those by Rembrandt, van Dyck, Tintoretto and Botticelli – were on loan in Vienna and presented together with works from the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The exhibition shown in Vienna then moved to the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg for visitors to enjoy in the fall.