Moscow/Ashghbat, Turkmenistan - Turkmenistan's South Yolotan-Osman gas fields have been found among the five largest reserves in the world in an audit by British Gaffney, Cline & Associates (GCA), Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday.

"The company's audit has confirmed statements made by Turkmen officials that had been initially met with skepticism," the newspaper wrote.

The Central Asian state now sells most of its gas to Russian export monopoly Gazprom, but confirmation of the huge reserves may make possible state officials ambitions to develop other export partners - west to Europe and east to China.

The British company, which won a tender to conduct the audit, reported the South Yolotan-Osman field in southeast Turkmenistan holds from 4 trillion cubic metres to 14 trillion cubic metres of gas, ranking it the world's fourth or fifth largest.

Kommersant cited a source at Gazprom saying that its purchasing contract with Turkmengaz did not include the South Yolantan-Osman field.

This may be good news for European plans to build the so-called Nabucco pipeline to import Central Asian gas bypassing Russia, analysts said. (dpa)