WRAPUP 2-Azerbaijan, not Russia, offers OPEC oil cut

* Azerbaijan offers output cut amid production problems * Russia pledges no output cuts, says exports may fall * Russia says may become OPEC member in the future * Russian Q1 export programme shows 4.5 pct drop in volume

(Adds Russian export plan, officials, fund manager quotes)

By Katya Golubkova and Gleb Gorodyankin

ORAN/MOSCOW, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan, facing oil production problems, on Wednesday became the only non-OPEC nation to offer output cuts, while Russia refrained from making firm pledges despite previous declarations that it could.

Russia, the world's No.2 oil exporter, had been expected to try and repackage its natural output decline as help to OPEC, even though Moscow's oil export plans for the first quarter showed a further drop in volume to a five year low.

Azeri Energy Minister Natik Aliyev told reporters on the sidelines of an OPEC meeting in the Algerian town of Oran the country was ready to cut output by 300,000 barrels per day to 540,000 bpd, which will be its lowest output level in two years.

"We have production capacity of 1 million bpd, but currently output is reduced to 840,000 bpd and we are ready to cut further to 540,000 bpd and sustain this production for several months," Aliyev said.

Most of Azeri oil output is controlled by a BP-led (BP.L) consortium, which reduced production in the past months due to technical problems at an offshore platform in the Caspian Sea.

Traders said last week BP would pump 568,000 bpd of Azeri crude to world markets in January, much less than expected, as they said they suspected production was slow to recover.

Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told Reuters on Tuesday producers outside OPEC could cut 500,000-600,000 bpd along with any curbs agreed by OPEC at its meeting on Wednesday.

Top non-OPEC producers Russia, Mexico and Norway signed up to production curbs with OPEC in 2002 to help shore up oil prices after they fell below $20.

But after Norway and Mexico said they had no plans to join production cuts this time, oil markets focused on Russia, which like many OPEC members badly needs a price of above $70 per barrel to protect its economy, currency and social stability.

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev said last week Moscow was not ruling out joining production cuts and even the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Nations.

Moscow also sent the highest-ranked delegation ever to an OPEC meeting this week, chaired by Russia's top energy official Igor Sechin and the heads of all five top national oil firms.

Sechin told OPEC delegates on Wednesday Russian oil firms could extend oil export cuts in 2009 after having already cut deliveries by 350,000 bpd in November.