Nov. 14 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Iran accused neighbouring Turkmenistan of cutting off gas supplies because of a contractual dispute, media reported. Iran relies on Turkmenistan to pump gas to its northern regions. A Turkmen official denied that it had cut gas supplies to Iran.
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(News report from Issue No. 113, published on Nov. 16 2012)
NOV. 7 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov fired the minister for maritime transport, Melis Mutdikov, in October for repeatedly using a 60m euro government-owned yacht for private parties, media reported. Senior Turkmen officials have previously been criticised for their lavish lifestyles.
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(News report from Issue No. 112, published on Nov. 9 2012)
OCT. 24 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Highlighting Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s unlimited power, a government website reported that Turkmenistan’s Council of Elders had elected Hally Nazarov, a previously unknown farmer, to be his vice-president. Mr Berdymukhamedov chairs the Council of Elders, which rubber-stamps his decisions.
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(News report from Issue No. 110, published on Oct. 26 2012)
OCT. 23 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Proclaiming a period of “happiness”, Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov pledged to spend profits from gas sales on improving living standards. Turkmenistan, routinely criticised for human rights abuses, holds the world’s fourth largest gas reserves and has boosted exports over the past few years.
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(News report from Issue No. 110, published on Oct. 26 2012)
OCT. 14 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan’s minister for oil and gas, Kakageldy Abdullayev, told reporters at an energy forum that construction of the TAPI pipeline would begin in 2017. TAPI aims to pump gas from Turkmenistan across Afghanistan to markets in Pakistan and India. Bangladesh has again stated it would like to join the project.
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(News report from Issue No. 109, published on Oct. 19 2012)
OCT. 2 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Apparently keen to improve relations with neighbours, Uzbek president Islam Karimov made a rare visit to Turkmenistan a month after he had made an equally rare visit to Kazakhstan. Media reported that Mr Karimov and Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov discussed regional security and transport issues.
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(News report from Issue No. 107, published on Oct. 5 2012)
SEP. 24 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan’s imports from neighbouring Iran have increased four-fold since 2008 to $1.3b, the Iranian government news agency Fars reported, quoting Hamid Goozaliyan, the trade attaché at the Iranian embassy in Ashgabat. Iran has been pushing for better relations with Central Asia since the mid-2000s.
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(News report from Issue No. 106, published on Sep. 28 2012)
SEP. 14 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan plans to produce 250b cubic metres (bcm) of gas by 2030, up from an earlier 230bcm estimate, media reported. Turkmenistan already produces 75bcm of gas. The estimate is based on tapping reserves and underlines the country’s status as a leading gas producer.
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(News report from Issue No. 105, published on Sep. 21 2012)
SEP. 14 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan has started preparations to construct an oil refinery near the Caspian Sea, media reported. The refinery will be Turkmenistan’s third and have an initial capacity of 3m tonnes of crude oil a year. A feasibility study is being prepared and construction work could start in 2015.
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(News report from Issue No. 105, published on Sep. 21 2012)
SEP. 5 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan showed off its new military might by staging its first ever Caspian Sea military exercise, media reported. The exercise focused on defending an oil tanker and villages from attack by sea. Turkmenistan has earned huge sums from gas to China and other neighbouring countries.
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(News report from Issue No. 104, published on Sep. 14 2012)