Russia 's OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) has not followed through on a warning to cut natural gas purchases from OAO Novatek (NVTK.RS), the country's biggest independent gas producer, Novatek Chief Executive Leonid Mikhelson said Thursday, Russian newswires reported.

Gazprom said Sept. 10 that it would suspend gas purchases from other Russian producers, citing unstable demand on the domestic gas market.

Mr. Mikhelson said Gazprom had not yet reduced purchases, and that talks on the matter were ongoing.

"Gazprom has expressed a wish to reduce the volume of gas purchases according to the existing contract. We have begun negotiations," Mr. Mikhelson was quoted by newswires as saying.

Mr. Mikhelson also said Novatek would buy gas on the European market to supply German utility EnBW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG (EBK.XE) from the fourth quarter of this year, Interfax reported. Novatek signed a contract in July to deliver 2 billion cubic meters of gas per year to EnBW for 10 years, but it cannot export its own natural gas as state-controlled Gazprom is the monopoly exporter.

Mr. Mikhelson added that Novatek is considering the possibility of delivering to other European companies.

"We expect that from trading we will create a market for ourselves for future liquefied natural gas deliveries," Interfax cited him as saying.

Analysts say the government may soon allow companies other than Gazprom to export natural gas, breaking its monopoly, in reponse to calls to open up the country's export sector.
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