Turkmen head on rare Moscow visit

President Niyazov has an iron grip on Turkmenistan's affairs

Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov is paying a rare visit to Moscow for talks about gas supplies with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A recent deal between Russia and Ukraine on gas supplies promoted Turkmenistan's status as a supplier.

The Central Asian country is the second largest producer of natural gas in the former Soviet Union, after Russia.

But regional analysts say questions remain about whether Turkmenistan can cope with increased demand.

The BBC's Steven Eke says President Niyazov rarely travels outside his own country, and his behaviour and statements will be watched with interest in Russia, parts of the former Soviet Union and further abroad.

He says some experts doubt that Turkmenistan has the gas, or the pumping capacity, to cope with what is expected to be a 30% increase in demand for its gas from Ukraine.

Gas network

Audits of Turkmenistan's reserves have produced contradictory results - and defectors from Mr Niyazov's government accuse it of deliberately exaggerating the size of the reserves.

The complicated nature of Russia's rights to Turkmen gas and direct control of the pipelines carrying it to other parts of the former Soviet Union has caused some concern in Ukraine, which is still nervous about guaranteeing its energy security.

Ukraine needs Turkmen gas, which, in turn, cannot be delivered without Russian co-operation.

A row over gas prices between Russia and Ukraine disrupted supplies to several European countries earlier this month, until a deal was eventually reached.

Our correspondent says there have been rumours that Turkmenistan considers the price of gas, as given in the Russo-Ukrainian contract, to be artificially low and Mr Niyazov may use his Moscow visit to seek Russian support for a revised, increased price.

President Niyazov is also due to travel to Beijing in April to sign a deal to build a gas pipeline and supply China.