BAKU - Azerbaijan halted natural gas supplies from the Shah Deniz I offshore field to Turkey on April 17 due to a contract expiry, a spokesman for Azeri state energy company SOCAR said on Monday.

"Azerbaijan's gas exports as part of the Shah Deniz I contract were suspended due to the contract expiry. Talks (on a new contract) have been under way," said Ibrahim Akhmedov.

Supplies from Shah Deniz II in the Caspian Sea, which is due to supply Turkey with 6 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year, have not been interrupted, he added.

Turkey signed a deal for gas supplies from Shah Deniz I in 2001, with expected annual volumes of 6.6 bcm.

BP BP.L operates Shah Deniz on behalf of its partners in the Shah Deniz Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Susan Fenton, Kirsten Donovan) ((vladimir.soldatkin@reuters.com; +7 495 775 12 42;))