As the Turkmen State News Service reports a session of the Turkmenistan Security Council devoted to issues of national defense was held on 19 November. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimukhammedov, who presided over the meeting, said:

Turkmenistan has been committed to the principles of positive neutrality, having steadily pursued a policy of good neighborliness and wide international cooperation that would serve interests of all sides. At the same time, Turkmenistan as a sovereign state has to permanently think of its national security and continuous strengthening of the army defensive capacity which guarantees peace and tranquility in the country and well-being of people.

Are these just empty words or does the new Turkmen leader really intend to strengthen the army? This would imply a break with the policy of Turkmenbashi, who viewed the army as a threat to his power. He did not want law enforcement agencies to be too strong, fearing that they could organize a plot and attempt a coup d’ètat. This was why he declared Turkmenistan a neutral country, constantly changed heads of law enforcement agencies and was reluctant to bolster the army’s military capacity. Berdimukhammedov has so far continued this policy, which I saw myself on the streets of Ashgabat and other Turkmen cities during my stay in Turkmenistan in September. Soldiers and policemen never carry guns and military bases can be accessed without slightest problem.

During the meeting Berdimukhamedov also stressed:

[…] the need of further strengthening the material-technical base, training of skilled military staff and instructed heads of military bodies to create proper conditions for military service and life of soldiers.

Creating proper conditions for military service and life of soldiers is indeed a serious problem in Turkmenistan. Undernourished soldiers are a common phenomenon in the ranks of the Turkmen army. It is not uncommon to see hungry soldiers serving on numerous road checkpoints (especially in the border zone) asking drivers of passing vehicles for food. There are many cases of suicides among young conscripts unable to stand the appalling conditions in army barracks and harassment by officers or senior soldiers.

Time will tell if the Turkmen leader wants to change this situation, improve living conditions of soldiers and build up the country’s military potential. This might be indicated by the visit of the defense minister Agegeldi Mamedgeldiev to China which took place in the beginning of November of this year. Its details were not released, but the mere fact that it took place is already curious. It is not common for defense ministers of strictly neutral states to visit one of the most militarized countries in the world which is additionally in possession of nuclear weapon.