NEW YORK, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - Austrian President Heinz Fischer said on Thursday that Russia was a reliable partner for his country in all spheres, including the energy sector.

At a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Fischer said that despite the current financial crisis, Russia and Austria continue to boost ties, including energy cooperation.

"It [cooperation] is sustainable in its nature, and I am deeply convinced that this trend will continue in the future," Fischer said. "We can rely on each other in terms of accurate contract fulfillment and all cooperation issues."

Medvedev said, in his turn, that though the crisis had a negative impact on trade between the two countries, the task of the two countries' leadership was "to compensate for the plunge as soon as possible."

Trade between Russia and Austria fell some 40%, Medvedev said.