(BRUSSELS) - Turkmenistan will supply 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas annually from next year to the European Union, which has been worried about over-dependence on Russian energy, officials said Monday.

The EU and Turkmenistan stressed their intention to develop their energy cooperation at a summit in Ashgabat last Thursday.

Turkish President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov told EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and the EU's Slovenian presidency that it would provide the 10 billion cubic metres of fuel from 2009, Ferrero-Waldner's spokeswoman told AFP.

At last week's meeting in the Turkmen capital French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that "the president decided to furnish Europe, and also France of course, with gas," without giving an amount.

"This is a very good decision, in our opinion, (and) it has been highly welcomed by the European Union," Kouchner said then.

Berdymukhamedov said at the summit that he was looking at new export routes for his country's vast natural gas reserves.

Existing pipelines are currently largely under Moscow's control, as almost all of them cross Russian territory.

The EU is anxious to see the construction of the Nabucco pipeline through the Caspian, bypassing Russia, to provide direct access to Central Asian gas.

At present a quarter of the natural gas consumed in the European Union comes from Russia.

The Turkmen deal, the first for the EU with a Central Asian nation, is "very, very important because even though the volume isn't huge it is enough to launch Nabucco," said European Commission spokeswoman Christiane Hohmann.

"Now that the volumes are assured, we have done what we can and it's up to the investors to develop," the 3,300 kilometre pipeline project, she added.

"Up to now the Turkmens have said 'don't worry, there'll be something for you (Europeans), but without mentioning precise quantities," she said.

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