BP resumed exports of Azerbaijani natural gas through a pipeline across Georgia to Turkey yesterday. But the company's oil pipeline to the Georgian Black Sea port of Supsa remained out of action.

Both pipelines were closed by the British energy group on Tuesday amid concerns about security.

"BP began filling the South Caucasus pipeline again today because we believe it is now safe enough to do so," said Toby Odone, a BP spokesman.

The European Union has broken through in efforts to lessen its dependence on Russian natural gas with a concrete offer of extra supplies from Turkmenistan. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU external relations commissioner, said the Turkmen president had last week guaranteed that 10bn cubic metres of gas a year would be available for the EU. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's pledge comes amid intense competition for access to Turkmenistan's huge gas reserves since the death last year of Saparmurat Niyazov, its isolationist former leader.

Gazprom, Russia's state-owned gas group, is likely to secure energy assets in Libya alongside Eni gaining a long sought entry to north African oil and gas fields and tightening its grip on European markets. Paolo Scaroni, the Eni chief executive and Alexei Miller, the head of Gazprom, discussed the idea during talks in Moscow last Thursday, the Italian said in a statement disclosing the location of the assets. Industry sources said Eni had agreed to share assets with Gazprom "in a north African country, probably Libya'.