Tag Archives: Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan census results

FEB. 4 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan’s last official census, researched in 2012, showed that only 5% of its 6m population is ethnic Russian, the chrono-tm.org website reported. Quoting the 2012 census, the website also said 60% of young families, under 30-years-old, do not own their own homes. The census had been kept out of the public domain.
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(News report from Issue No. 218, published on Feb. 11 2015)

China sells missiles to Uzbekistan

FEB. 6 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — China has sold Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan anti-aircraft missile systems, the English-language website eurasianet.org and the Uzbek website 12news.uz both reported by quoting Chinese sources. Eurasianet.org said the sale, if confirmed, would be China’s biggest ever military deal in Central Asia.
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(News report from Issue No. 218, published on Feb. 11 2015)

Russia says to cut Uzbek/Turkmen gas purchases

FEB. 3 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Alexander Medvedev, vice-chairman of Gazprom, Russia’s gas monopoly, said the company would cut gas it buys from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Mr Medvedev did not specify why Gazprom had cut its orders from Turkmenistan by 60% and from Uzbekistan by 75% but it may be linked to Russia’s economic downturn.
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(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Berdy wants white cars only

JAN. 29 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan has banned the import of any car that isn’t white, the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported quoting a customs official. RFE/RL said new rules may also force all car owners to repaint their cars white. The new rules highlight the often bizarre nature of Turkmenistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Berdy worries about the economy

JAN. 30 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Perhaps even the phlegmatic Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov is beginning to become unnerved by the sudden drop in energy prices. Media reported that he held an unprecedented TV broadcast in which he explained to ordinary Turkmens how he had been forced to devalue the manat currency (Jan. 30).
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(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Iran and Turkmenistan spar in the Caspian Sea

FEB. 1 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Iran accused Turkmen coastguards of shooting dead an Iranian fisherman in the Caspian Sea, a potentially dangerous flashpoint in this volatile area.

The English-language Tehran Times said that one of the Iranian fishing boasts was sunk after it came under fire and that one person died.

Perhaps more worrying was the next sentence in the state-owned newspaper.

“According to IRNA, Turkmenistan’s hostile behaviour toward Iran has been increased and the only Shia mosque in Ashgabat is on the verge of destruction,” it reported. IRNA is a state-owned Iranian language news agency.

It sounds as if Iran is spoiling for a fight.

Either way, Turkmenistan’s government immediately denied the accusation that its navy had killed an Iranian sailor. Instead, they said that they had arrested four fishermen for illegal fishing.

This is a curious story, made more curious by the Tehran Times’ line about the only Shia mosque in Ashgabat being under threat.

The Caspian Sea is a sensitive area. It is rich in hydrocarbons and also produces sturgeon whose eggs are sold and eaten as caviar. It is also bordered by five countries — Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Azerbaijan — with their own single minded agendas.

Flashpoints in the Caspian Sea, and bellicose language that accompany them, are worth monitoring.
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(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Russia cuts Uzbek/Turkmen gas orders

(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Berdymukhamedov flies to Ankara

MARCH 3 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov flew to Anakara for talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on cooperation in the energy sector. Media reported that Mr Erdogan wants to set up a grouping with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. This is likely to revolve around the South Caucasus energy corridor.
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(News report from Issue No. 221, published on March 4 2015)

Turkmen-orientated oil company cuts spending

JAN. 21 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — London-based energy company Dragon Oil said it would reduce its capital expenditure in Turkmenistan by 26% this year because of the decrease in oil global price, media reported. Dragon Oil’s slashing of its capital expenditure budget in Turkmenistan highlights the pressures that energy-focused economies are under.
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(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015)

Afghan president flies to Ashgabat

>>Regional links increasingly important>>

JAN. 21 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Afghan president Ashraf Ghani flew to Ashgabat for a two-day visit, an important trip focused on developing economic and transport links.

Afghanistan and Turkmenistan are steadily improving their ties. They have plans to build a gas pipeline across the countries, connecting Turkmenistan with markets in Pakistan and India.

During the talks, media quoted Turkmen leader Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov as saying that business between the two sides reached $1b in 2014 and would double in 2015.

Turkmenistan, enriched by various energy deals, has become an beacon of wealth and stability in the region.

Turkmenistan, though, is increasingly concerned about the spread of Islamic militants north into Central Asia. It has placed its soldiers along the border with Afghanistan on high alert.
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(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015)