MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian energy giant Gazprom elected First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov chairman of the board at its annual meeting on Friday, a Gazprom spokesman said.

Sergei Kupriyanov said CEO Alexei Miller has been reelected deputy board chairman.

Zubkov pledged to maintain a balance between government and corporate interests in the company.

"As a deputy prime minister, I will primarily protect government interests, and simultaneously, being Gazprom board chairman I will attempt to maintain a balance between government interests and the interests of the company itself," he said.

Zubkov was prime minister before Vladimir Putin took the post after the presidency passed to his successor Dmitry Medvedev in May 2008. Medvedev himself was the chairman of Gazprom's board before the March 2008 presidential elections.

As a deputy prime minister, Zubkov is responsible for the national project on agriculture, the state fisheries policy, and forest and agriculture development programs. He also heads a government commission on protective measures in foreign trade and customs and tariff policies.