Russia resumes buying Turkmen gas

Russia has resumed buying natural gas from Turkmenistan, more than three years after cutting off purchases of the Central Asian country's key export.

The resumption was announced Monday by state natural gas company Turkmengaz. Russian state natural gas monopoly Gazprom confirmed the move, Russian news agencies said.

No details were given about the amount of gas that Russia would buy. Prior to halting imports in 2016, Russia had been the largest customer for Turkmen gas, buying about 10 billion cubic meters a year.

Russia's purchase halt came amid a slump in global prices. The loss of exports to Russia was a significant blow to the Turkmen economy.