Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21 -- Turkmenistan President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov said his country is ready to bypass Russia and begin selling some of its natural gas to Europe.
After meeting Sept. 19 with Austrian Economic Minister Martin Bartenstein, Berdymukhamedov said his country, "having multiple vectors in its energy policy and creating alternative export routes, including in the southern direction through the Caspian Sea, is prepared to deliver natural gas to European countries."
Turkmenistan's gas exports currently pass through pipelines operated by Russia's state-run OAO Gazprom, but Berdymukhamedov suggested that a new pipeline could be built from Turkmen gas fields to Azerbaijan.
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