EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Turkmenistan: Ashgabat Denies Report on Hosting NATO Facilities

EURASIA INSIGHT

TURKMENISTAN: ASHGABAT DENIES REPORT ON HOSTING NATO FACILITIES
1/23/09

Turkmenistan has issued a swift denial of a report in a Russian newspaper alleging Ashgabat would provide training camps and logistical support for NATO troops in Afghanistan.

On January 23, Nezavisimaya Gazeta claimed that following a meeting with the chief of US Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus in Ashgabat, "[President Gurbanguly] Berdymukhamedov expressed readiness to open [Turkmen] territory for training camps for the training of NATO peacekeepers, as well as to accommodate warehouses and logistics bases for the supply of NATO troops."

The Turkmen Foreign Minister has rebutted the claim and is threatening the paper with legal action. "Such publications are blatant misinformation and are clearly provocative," said an official statement published on Turkmenistan.ru on January 23. "The ’information’ is absolutely untrue and is a flagrant attempt to damage the high international prestige of Turkmenistan."

"The Turkmen side considers the appearance of this kind of message unacceptable, and expressed confidence that such insinuations, which seek to harm the positive development of relations of Turkmenistan with other states, will continue to be suppressed, using all legal measures," the statement added.

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