Russ Oil-Gas

6/15/09 - Eurasia.net - Gazprom boss Alexei Miller has held face-to-face talks with President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat. Initial results appeared inconclusive. During their meeting "the parties emphasized the long-term nature of the Russian-Turkmen partnership in the gas sector. The discussion centered on the plans for strategic cooperation and the issues of interaction between Gazprom and Turkmenneftegaz over 2009 to 2010," a press statement from Gazprom said on June 15. Turkmenistan and Gazprom have a 25-year cooperation agreement signed in 2003, which sews up Gazprom's control of Turkmenistan's gas exports. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Relations between the Kremlin-controlled energy giant and Central Asian state have been far from easy since demand for gas on the European market dried up earlier this year and a gas pipeline explosion on April 9 halted Turkmen gas exports into Gazprom's supply network.