DUSHANBE , July 14, Asia-Plus - Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan have been conducting talks on Turkmen gas exports. Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister Tacberdi Tagyyew, who is in charge of the country''s oil and gas sector, briefed the president about the talks'' results on July 14.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev came up with a proposal to buy Turkmenistan ''s gas at a recent meeting with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow in Astana, where the latter was a guest of the capital''s jubilee celebrations, the governmental press-service said.

At present, Russia and Iran that have 25-year-long gas agreements with Ashgabat are only importers of its gas. This year gas import contract volumes total 50 billion cubic meters and 8 billion cubic meters respectively.

Kazakhstan is just a transit country pumping Turkmen gas to Russia . In 2007 Turkmenistan , Russia and Kazakhstan agreed to build a gas pipeline around the Caspian Sea and reconstruct existing gas transport facilities.

In March this year three Central Asian exporters of natural gas to Russia - Turkmenistan , Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan - announced their intention to switch to European gas prices in 2009.