Turkmenistan and Russia in gas deal

The new Russian President, Vladimir Putin, says his country has reached an agreement with Turkmenistan on increased gas deliveries from the resource-rich central Asian country.

He made the announcement after talks with his Turkmen counterpart, Saparmurat Niyazov, in the capital, Ashgabad, at the end of a two-day tour of the region.

Mr Putin said Russia would be increasing its gas purchases by ten-billion cubic metres a year, although no price has yet been agreed for the deal.

Correspondents say a number of countries have been seeking to exploit Turkmenistan's large gas resources. Mr Putin arrived to Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan where the talks had concentrated on the fight against terrorism and religious extremism in Central Asia.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service