Turkmenistan: Foreign Minister Meredov in Washington

Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov is currently on an official visit to Washington. The trip is shrouded in secrecy, but energy issues are the obvious focus of his discussions with US officials.

US officials remain tightlipped on Meredov's exact itinerary. The foreign minister reportedly met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. And he has also held talks with Richard Morningstar, the State Department's special envoy for Eurasian energy issues. Morningstar told members of the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce that he attended two meetings involving Meredov.

"Turkmenistan is a very interesting country and raises very interesting opportunities," the Azerbaijani news agency APA quoted Morningstar as saying in a June 24 report. "There is flexibility on the part of Turkmenistan with respect to doing more onshore production with western companies in a way that will be satisfactory to both the government of Turkmenistan and foreign companies."

Separately, Human Rights Watch urged Clinton to raise a number of issues with Meredov, including freedom of movement. Meredov's visit to the United States began on June 22 and runs through June 25.