PRAGUE -- EU parliamentarian Daniel Caspary has told RFE/RL's Turkmen Service that he is optimistic that relations between the European Union and Turkmenistan will improve due to the bilateral trade agreement the European Parliament approved on April 22.
Caspary, a German who is currently preparing a report on Turkmenistan, added that the EU will be able to suspend the agreement if the human rights situation in Turkmenistan worsens.
He said the EU should not get involved in discussions about the current tensions between Moscow and Ashgabat over natural gas issues.