Latest Articles about Turkmenistan
POTENTIAL GAS CUSTOMERS LINE UP TO WELCOME NEW TURKMEN LEADER
Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov was inaugurated as Turkmenistan’s new president at the Ruhiyev palace in Ashgabat on February 14. Reporters noted that 2,487 members of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) and foreign guests, including heads of states and governments from 30 countries, attended the ceremony. The Russian... MORE
TURKMEN ELECTION PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION OF AUTHORITARIAN REGIME
As foreign observers gear up to monitor Sunday’s presidential elections in Turkmenistan, the first since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, more adventurous foreigners can catch a bus from Ashgabat and journey some 40 miles north of the capital into the Karakum desert, where... MORE
TURKMEN POLITICAL PRISONERS DEMAND RELEASE AFTER NIYAZOV’S DEATH
Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov’s unexpected death on December 21, 2006, triggered a wave of uncertainty both inside Turkmenistan and internationally. The “light of the Turkmen” had established an extravagant personality cult that many compared to Stalin’s. Oddly enough, Niyazov died on Stalin’s birthday. In a... MORE
POLITICAL CHANGES IN TURKMENISTAN OPEN NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR AZERBAIJAN
The sudden and unexpected death of Turkmenistan’s President Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenbashi) on December 21, 2006, has opened a window of opportunity for both domestic reforms and changes in Turkmenistan’s relations with its neighbors. Azerbaijan, being one of the closest neighbors, could greatly benefit from this... MORE
TURKMENISTAN TILTS TOWARD RUSSIA
Turkmenistan’s foreign policy discernibly tilted toward Russia in the days following the death of the country’s president on December 21, 2006. Russia sees the continuation and improvement of commercial and diplomatic relations with Turkmenistan as vital for a number of reasons. Russia has become dependent... MORE
NEUTRAL TURKMENISTAN PRESENTS SECURITY DILEMMA IN THE CASPIAN
On December 26 Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov, Turkmenistan’s acting president, was shown on national television conducting meetings of the State Security Council and Cabinet of Ministers. These images showed Agagelgy Mametgeldiyev, Turkmenistan’s defense minister, seated next to Berdimukhamedov at the meeting. Although there was nothing unusual about... MORE
TURKMEN GAS PRICE HIKE: IMPLICATIONS FOR RUSSIA AND EUROPE
On June 21, the government of Turkmenistan announced that it proposes to steeply raise the price of gas it sells to Gazprom: from $65 per 1,000 cubic meters at present to $100 in the second half of 2006. The volume of deliveries would remain constant... MORE
MOSCOW, GAZPROM COMBINE TO MOVE AHEAD OF UKRAINE IN BUYING TURKMEN EXPORTS
Russia is now Turkmenistan's top foreign trade partner thanks to sizable purchases of Turkmen natural gas in the first three months of 2006. Russia imported Turkmen goods worth $754 million (or 58% of all Turkmen exports), followed by Iran ($152 million or 12%), and Turkey... MORE
TURKMENISTAN SEEKS TO STRENGTHEN ENERGY TIES WITH CHINA
Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov and Chinese President Hu Jintao signed a framework agreement on oil and gas cooperation in Beijing on April 3. Niyazov was in Beijing for a six-day visit to China. The trip underlined the growing ties between the two countries in culture,... MORE
TURKMENISTAN-CHINA GAS AGREEMENT UNREALISTICALLY AMBITIOUS
Visiting China on April 2-7, President Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan signed with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao a "general agreement" on Turkmen gas deliveries to China and construction of a pipeline to link the two countries. Turkmen state media have published the agreement's text, and... MORE