Gazprom ready to buy Azeri gas from 2010

MOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) - Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) is ready to start buying small volumes of Azeri gas from next year to supply volumes to Russia's southern regions, chief executive Alexei Miller said on Friday.

Miller said gas will be bought from phase one of Azerbaijan's main gas field, Shakh Deniz, led by BP (BP.L) and StatoilHydro (STL.OL), and added that talks would stretch beyond phase one. Phase two of Shakh Deniz is viewed as the main potential source of gas for EU-backed Nabucco project.

He also said Gazprom had dropped plans to participate in Canada's regasification terminal of Rabaska. (Moscow Newsroom, + 7 495 775 12 42)