Medvedev, another Putin protege and the previous Gazprom chairman, was credited with turning the company into one of the most highly capitalised firms in the world by allowing foreign share ownership during his time as chairman. Government links Meanwhile, Gazprom's chief executive said on Friday that its ties to the government give it a huge growth potential. Alexei Miller told the shareholders' meeting that the company was in a better position to compete on the international energy markets as its links to the government would help it to secure the rights to develop new strategic oil and gas reserves. "The growing competition for possessing hydrocarbon reserves leads to the fact that companies with state participation have significant advantages in securing dominant positions on international markets," Miller said. "Today the most relevant investment idea in the energy sector is to invest together with the state."