Turkmenistan: Lavrov Upbeat on Talks with Berdymukhammedov

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has assured Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that there will "always" be enough gas for Russia.

Turkmenistan views Russia as a "strategic partner," Lavrov said on March 16 upon wrapping up a two-day visit to Ashgabat Lavrov's meeting with Berdymukhammedov came just weeks after RWE, a partner in the Nabucco gas pipeline with holdings in Turkmenistan, said an agreement securing Turkmen gas supplies for the project could be signed by mid-year.

"Turkmenistan will always have enough gas for Russia. This is what the president clearly told me today," the RIA Novosti quoted Lavrov as saying. Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled energy giant, and the Turkmen government have "ambitious plans," he added.