SEPT. 10 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Xi Jinping, China’s president, toured Central Asia’s capitals meeting leaders and sealing business deals. In Turkmenistan Mr Xi inaugurated the start of production at Galkynysh, the world’s second biggest gas field, and in Kazakhstan he confirmed a $5b deal to buy an 8.33% share in the Kashagan oil field.
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(News report from Issue No. 151, published on Sept. 11 2013)
SEPT. 7 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — The chairman of Iran’s parliament, Ali Larijani, led a high-level delegation to Turkmenistan on a mission to broaden cooperation between the two neighbours, media reported. Relations between Turkmenistan and Iran have been improving over the past few years.
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(News report from Issue No. 151, published on Sept. 11 2013)
AUG. 18 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Looking to burnish his democratic credentials, Turkmenistan’s President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov resigned as the head of the ruling Democratic Party. Turkmenistan holds a parliamentary election in December and Mr Berdymukhamedov said he didn’t want to influence it. In reality both parties competing in the election are pro-presidential.
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(News report from Issue No. 148, published on Aug. 19 2013)
AUG. 14 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — After taking over as Turkmenistan’s president in 2007, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov dismantled the personality cult established by his predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov. Now, though, he appears to be building his own. Media reported that the authorities in Ashgabat have erected a 5m-high statue of Mr Berdymukhamedov’s father, a former interior ministry official.
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(News report from Issue No. 148, published on Aug. 19 2013)
AUG. 15 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Highlighting its energy wealth, Turkmenistan unveiled plans to build a $2b port on its Caspian Sea coast. Turkmen leader Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched the project. Turkish construction company Gap Insaat will build the port.
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(News report from Issue No. 148, published on Aug. 19 2013)
AUG. 1 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmen officials have pulled the quasi-religious book written by former President Saparmurat Niyazov from the national curriculum, media reported. The autocratic Niyazov ruled Turkmenistan from independence in 1991 until he died in 2006. He wrote Rukhnama in 2001 and insisted that school children studied it.
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(News report from Issue No. 146, published on Aug. 5 2013)
JULY 15 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — US pop diva Jennifer Lopez reportedly earned $10m for a private performance last month in front of Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and his guests. Ms Lopez sang happy birthday for Mr Berdymukhamedov. Turkmenistan has a woeful human rights record. Human rights lobbyists criticised her performance.
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(News report from Issue No. 144, published on July 22 2013)
JULY 20 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has said he wants to update Turkmenistan’s foreign investment laws, media reported. Media reports didn’t give specific details of his proposed changes but they did say that the changes would be designed to attract more foreign investment.
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(News report from Issue No. 144, published on July 22 2013)
JULY 9 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — In Ashgabat, Turkmen officials agreed a deal to sell gas to Afghanistan. The deal is an important step for the planned TAPI pipeline which will feed gas from Turkmenistan across Afghanistan to Pakistan and India. Successful completion of TAPI would cement Turkmenistan’s place as a major global gas supplier.
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(News report from Issue No. 143, published on July 15 2013)
JULY 13 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — There are 1,865 investment projects worth $41b in Turkmenistan, Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said on state TV. The figure could not be independently verified but it does underline Turkmenistan’s investment potential. A major gas exporter, the IMF has estimated Turkmenistan’s 2013 GDP growth at 8%.
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(News report from Issue No. 143, published on July 15 2013)