ALMA-ATA, Oct. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Turkmen President Saparmurad Atayevich Niyazov said Thursday his country will cooperate with NATO in its peace efforts in Afghanistan, according to reports from Turkmen capital Ashgabat.

    In meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who is on a Central Asian tour, Niyazov said Turkmenistan will remain neutral in world affairs but will lend help while the NATO-led force is trying to restore peace in the neighboring Afghanistan.

    He said Turkmenistan is not worried about the Atlantic alliance's eastward expansion and "is ready to cooperate."

    The NATO chief said he came to Ashgabat to seek support for NATO's next Afghanistan operations as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will extend its mandate to the west of thecountry around Herat, near the Turkmen border.

    He said he had asked for approval from the Turkmen side on transit support, but he did not elaborate.

    During his Central Asia trip which also took him to Tajikistan,Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, de Hoop Scheffer highlighted the fight on terror and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and urged collective efforts in maintaining regional security.

    He said the Central Asia was of great importance to NATO and the alliance hopes to enhance cooperation with countries in the region as well as regional organizations here. Enditem