ASHKHABAD - Turkmenistan's President Sapar Murat Niyazov has told Washington officials recently that in his judgment the best route for a gas-line to Europe is the Iranian soil, Turkmen dailies reported on Tuesday. He has, in the meanwhile, observed that his government would also consider other alternatives. Niyazov has said Turkmenistan is a neutral country and that economic concerns play a major role in the country's foreign policy-making.

In his visit to Washington last month, the Turkmen President signed a number of political, cultural and economic protocols with the Americans. (IRNA)