Turkmenistan center of new gas war?

WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Ongoing disputes between Turkmenistan and Russian gas giant Gazprom point to the growing struggle over Caspian resources, an analysis suggests.

Turkmenistan lashed out at Gazprom in April following a disruption at an export gas pipeline, which was blamed on a decision by Gazprom to alter gas volumes without notice.

Gazprom has not turned the spigot back on since April, leaving Turkmenistan without a viable alternative export route. That leaves Moscow in a position to tighten the screws while Turkmenistan struggles to explore its options, notes The Jamestown Foundation, a Washington-based think tank.

During normal global market conditions, Gazprom, which had taken roughly 80 percent of all Turkmen gas exports, relied on Turkmenistan as a source of safety for Russia to meet its commitments to its European customers.

But with the economic recession suppressing energy demands, Moscow decided to abandon Turkmenistan as a gas supplier, crippling the national economy.

Meanwhile, with Western nations eying Turkmenistan as a possible supplier to the lauded Nabucco gas pipeline and China looking for new sources to feed its insatiable appetite for energy, Turkmenistan joins its Caspian partners as the center of a new gas race.