Gas pipeline from Turkmenistan unlike the pre-Caspian project (see my previous post) is becoming reality. Here is a bunch of facts to prove it.
The first frame agreement on gas exports to China was signed by former president Sapparmurat Niyazov in April 2006. Just year later, his successor – Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov went to Beijing in […]

May has come and reminded me about the pre-Caspian gas pipeline project. A year ago, on May 12, in Turkmenbashi town a declaration on the pre-Caspian project was signed. The document endorsed by presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan assumed a construction of the pre-Caspian gas pipeline (to run along the Caspian Sea coastline […]

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has decided to take another step to undo his predecessor’s personality cult. At the expanded government meeting on May 2, it was decided
to relocate the Neutrality Arch to the southern area of Ashgabat. It was noted that it would be expedient to locate this monument in the southern part of Ashgabat […]

Political power in Turkmenistan is concentrated in the hands of the president; the names of other Turkmen politicians rarely appear in the press releases concerning the most important events in the country. However, this does not mean that officials from Berdymukhammedov’s inner circle have no influence over the state policy. Let us take a closer […]

UNICEF advertises extensively their activities in Turkmenistan. Of course efforts of international humanitarian organisations regarding improvement of education system in the country are taking place but situation in general could by improved by Turkmen government only.    

They were admired already by Alexander the Great, who had a horse of that breed called Bucephalus. Marco Polo, the famous Medieval traveller, also wrote about them. Beautiful, noble, tenacious, capable of surviving many days in the desert without water, they are the pride of the Turkmen and one of the symbols of their […]

On 20-25 April, Turkmen energy minister Baimyrat Khodzamuhammedov visited Islamabad where he took part in the 10th meeting of steering committee of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project. Apart from him, the meeting gathered Indian, Pakistani and Afghan officials. Few days later, on April 28th Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov traveled to Kabul (first time in independent […]

It’s an obvious fact that the Turkmen do not only live in their native Turkmenistan, but also in other Central Asian states and in the Middle East. Lately I have decided to surf the net to count them.
The largest groups of Turkmen living outside Turkmenistan can be found in Iran (around 1.1 million), Afghanistan […]

There are many old Soviet cars still roaming the streets of Turkmen towns and villages. The Ladas Zhiguli model is most common, but one can also come across Moskvich cars (though much less often), which probably remember Brezhnev’s or maybe even Khrushchev’s times. The Turkmen must be feeling very sentimental about them, because they […]

It looks like the gas conflict between Turkmenistan and Iran which lasted for over 3 months is drawing to an end. The Reuters Agency informed on April 19 that Tehran is ready to pay a higher price for the Turkmen gas.
If Turkmenistan wants a logical increase in the price of gas it is okay […]