5月中旬，俄羅斯、土庫曼與哈薩克三國總理達成共識，將興建從裏海海岸連接到俄羅斯的瓦斯管線，此舉被國際媒體稱為俄羅斯對西方國家的一大勝利。
三國總理於5月12日裡海港市土庫曼巴希（Turkmenbashi）舉行的高峰會議中，共同簽訂該項「穿越裏海瓦斯管」（the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline，TCGP）興建協議。TCGP路線將直接穿越裏海海底到亞賽拜然，該協議之所以被形容為俄羅斯對西方的勝利，乃由於歐盟一直以來均主張TCGP路線不應過俄羅斯境內。
5月14日美國能源部長博德曼（Samuel Bodman）回應表示，該協議對於歐洲需要多元化能源來源的未來方向「沒有益處」。
目前所有從中亞國家運輸到歐洲的瓦斯都會經過俄國。俄國天然氣巨頭蓋茲普洛姆（Gazprom）擁有並經營裝載瓦斯的「俄國中亞瓦斯中心」。
蓋茲普洛姆正商議讓土庫曼在2028年前輸出達900億立方公尺的瓦斯量。目前俄國使用土庫曼年輸出650億立方公尺瓦斯中的500億立方公尺。
5月12日的協定會使更多的瓦斯從土庫曼輸出，並於初期負擔從現有的中亞中心瓦斯管西側延伸的重建工程，沿著裏海沿岸，把土庫曼石油經由哈薩克送到俄羅斯。俄國總統普亭表示，新建瓦斯管將會每年乘載100億立方公尺的瓦斯，並且將興建一條平行的新管線，以增加更多輸出量。普亭表示2007年7月3國會再簽訂完整的協議。
The agreement reached by the presidents of Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan earlier this month to build a gas pipeline from the Caspian shore to Russia has been hailed by the international media as a Russian victory over the West.
The excitement generated by the trilateral deal, which presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Kazakstan's Nursultan Nazarbaev and Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov of Turkmenistan signed at a May 12 summit in the Caspian port of Turkmenbashi, stems from the belief that this agreement puts paid to a projected alternative route, the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, TCGP. The European Union has been lobbying for the TCGP, which would be laid under the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and would not go through Russian territory.
Reacting to the deal on May 14, U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said the deal was "not good" for Europe, which needs to diversify its sources of energy.
Currently, all Central Asian gas shipped to Europe comes through Russia. Gazprom, the country's giant gas producer, owns and operates the Soviet-era Central Asia-Centre, CAC, pipeline which carries the gas.
Gazprom has a deal in place that commits Turkmenistan to increase exports to reach 90 billion cubic meters by 2028. At the moment, Russia takes 50 billion cubic meters of Turkmenistan's annual production of 65 billion cubic meters.
The May 12 agreement will provide greater capacity for getting the extra gas out. It will initially entail the reconstruction of an existing western branch of the CAC running along the shore of the Caspian Sea, taking Turkmen gas via Kazakstan to Russia.
President Putin said this would carry 10 billion cubic meters a year, and a parallel, new pipeline would be laid alongside it to boost overall capacity. Putin said a full agreement would be signed by July.
全文及圖片詳見 ENS報導
