On January 30, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov toured an area in Akhal Province and, with a big smile, gave what were said to be televisions to herders.
U.S.-based liberty-and-democracy watchdog Freedom House says threats to political rights and civil liberties are increasing as authoritarian governments gain strength and populist and nationalist forces rise in the West.
A recent spat between Turkmenistan and Tajikistan is probably the lamest dispute between two Central Asian countries I can remember, though I think I know the real cause of the problem. (The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.)
Turkmenistan has expressed concern after a Tajik official reportedly spoke of plans to potentially open a railway line to Russia that would bypass Turkmen territory.
An increasingly clear picture is emerging of Turkmenistan’s economic problems and their effects on its population, thanks to RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service and sites like chrono-tm.org, habartm.org, and fergananews.com. (The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.)
The former deputy chief of Turkmenistan’s Committee for National Security (KNB), Tirkish Tyrmyev, has reportedly died in custody at the age of 66.
The Turkmen government has been proudly proclaiming its UN-recognized status as a neutral country for more than 20 years now. Ashgabat's policy of "positive neutrality" is, since September 2016, even part of the country's constitution. But the policy is not always positive for Turkmenistan, and the current gas spat with neighbor Iran might be a case in point. (The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.)
Kazakhstan will promote the interests of the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia during its 2017-18 stint in the UN Security Council, President Nursultan Nazarbaev says.
It looks like Turkmenistan might be left with just one customer for its natural gas. (The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.)
Turkmenistan has "suddenly" halted gas supplies to Iran in a dispute between the two countries over arrears, the Iranian National Gas Company says.
This past year in Central Asia proved every bit as interesting as it was predicted to be. (The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.)
Nine candidates have registered to run in Turkmenistan's presidential election on February 12, media reported on December 27.
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