Atamurat Berdiyev has sensibly elected to request dismissal from his post as Deputy Prime Minister and Oil and Gas Minister during the recent Cabinet reshuffle.
As Turkmenistan.ru reports, Berdiyev cited his unwillingness to persist in his post on grounds of insufficient expertise, which suggests that if nothing else politicians have been forced to become more honest than their Western counterparts.
President Saparmurat Niyazov acceded to Berdiyev’s request, and he has now been granted the position of Minister of Economics and Finance. Berdiyev’s successor will be Gurbanmurat Atayev, who has been promoted from his old position of First Deputy Oil and Gas Minister.