In an article for The Washington Times, David R. Sands writes about how some Turkmen dissidents and human rights activists have suggested that the country’s repressive political regime could give rise to extremist Islamic groups. In particular, Sands notes criticisms made about the regime cultural policies that they believe could cultivate these dangerous tendencies:
“The […]
What follows is one part of a cross-blog initiative, which takes the role of Islam in Central Asia and the Caucasus as its central theme:
The Turkmen authorities rarely bother to comment on new stories about the country, which made it all the more noteworthy when the Foreign Ministry issued an angry denial of items […]
Turkmenistan marked Victory Day on May 9 with a number of commemorative ceremonies across the country. In President Saparmurat Niyazov’s native town of Kipchak, members of the government, clerics and other public notables gathered to lay flowers at their leader’s family vault. Earlier in the day, Niyazov himself observed his respects at a war […]
Deutsche Welle has continued to report on the fate of former General Prosecutor Gurbanbibi Atajanova, who reportedly attempted to take her own life last Friday night. The following is a partial translation of the DW report broadcast recently:
Former General Prosecutor of Turkmenistan Gurbanbibi Atajanova was until recently one of the most important and influential […]
The idea of building a Trans-Caspian pipeline was once again raised by EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs during a meeting with Kazakh Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Baktykozha Izmukhambetov in Astana on May 4. The remark has received special attention after the recent critical comments made by U.S. Vice-President Richard Cheney addressed at Russia’s […]
According to an Interfax report, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Julie Finley was in Ashgabat for talks on May 4 with a number of Turkmen officials to discuss deepening collaboration with Turkmenistan in the area of human rights, border security and energy.
The website of the U.S. Embassy in […]
