Turkmenistan resumes gas supplies to Russia

Turkmenistan resumed natural gas supplies to Russia on Saturday, Turkmen gas monopoly Turkmengaz said in Ashgabat.

The resumption was confirmed by a Russian state energy monopoly Gazprom spokesman, who said the supplies had started flowing as scheduled under an agreement between Russia and Turkmenistan.

Gazprom and its Turkmen counterpart Turkmengaz clinched a deal on the sidelines of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat on Dec. 22, ending a months-long gas dispute between the two former Soviet states.

Under the new contract, Turkmenistan will supply Russia with up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually at European-level prices.

Turkmengaz cut off gas deliveries to Russia in early April 2009after a pipeline explosion. The Central Asia state accused Russia of failing to warn that it was reducing gas imports, a move that resulted in a buildup of pipeline pressure that caused the blast.

Gazprom scaled down gas imports due to a lower demand in Europe amid the global economic crisis.

Source: Xinhua