Turkmenistan's Oil and Gas Ministry said in a statement the decision was made at the request of Gazprom, the Russian gas monopoly that operates the Central Asia-Center-IV pipeline.
The ministry said daily gas exports would not exceed 66 million cubic meters for the next eight days.
It did not say, however, how much gas usually transits through that pipeline.
The Central Asia-Center-IV pipeline, which crosses Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan before reaching Russia, has a daily capacity of 120 million cubic meters.
Another export gas pipeline to Russia, Central Asia-Center-III, runs through Kazakhstan.
Russia is to receive this year 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas, part of which will be exported to Ukraine.
(turkmenistan.ru, NewsCentralAsia)
Turkmenistan In The Middle
Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov (right) meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in Ashgabat in March 2005
PLAYING BOTH SIDES: The Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute is testing Turkmenistan's self-declared policy of neutrality. Along with Russia, Turkmenistan is one of Ukraine's two biggest gas suppliers. Throughout the crisis, Ukraine suggested it could turn to Turkmenistan to make up any losses of Russian gas supplies. That puts Turkmenistan in a difficult position as it seeks to balance its relations with two capitals: Moscow and Kyiv...(more)
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