Turkmenistan: Berdymukhamedov Plays Up Foreign Policy

Say so long to the hermit state of Central Asia. Turkmenistan's president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, wants his country to be a player in the international arena.

Meeting with ambassadors based in Ashgabat, Berdymukhamedov expressed interest in doing deals and playing a more active role in promoting regional and global security, according to reports by state-controlled media outlets. Berdymukhamedov's stance contrasts sharply with that of his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, who tried to insulate Turkmenistan from outside influences.

"Turkmenistan, as you well know, is conducting an open and direct policy. We regard the provision of energy as a prerequisite for energy security, which in turn is one of the main guarantors of universal peace and progress," Berdymukhamedov said on February 18.

"Our embassies, located in Central and South Asia, the Middle and Near East, as well as in the Caspian region should focus their work on the basis of understanding these issues in the context of modernity. The key relevance of them is a question of power in the world," he added.