June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Europe increased imports of natural gas from Norway and liquefied natural gas from Trinidad and Tobago in the first quarter after gas supplies from Russia were halted in January.

European imports from the former Soviet Union fell 35 percent to 26.9 billion cubic meters from a year earlier, the International Energy Agency said in a report posted on its Web site late yesterday.

OAO Gazprom, Russia’s natural gas exporter, buys gas from former soviet nations in central Asia exports from its own balance. A pricing and debt dispute with Ukraine, the transit route for 80 percent of Russia’s exports, led to gas supplies being halted for the first two weeks of January.

Europe increased its gas imports from Norway by 11 percent to 25.1 billion cubic meters and from Trinidad and Tobago by 50 percent to 2.18 billion cubic meters.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stephen Bierman in Moscow sbierman1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 16, 2009 02:24 EDT