Turkmenistan Weekly News Analysis

On October 9, the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament held hearings on human rights in Turkmenistan. Turkmen human rights activists Vyacheslav Mamedov (the Civil Democratic Union of Turkmenistan) and Farid Tukhbatullin (Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights) reported on the crackdown on national minorities, the decline of the educational system, political prisoners, freedom of media and movement, and the general deterioration of the already abysmal human rights situation in Turkmenistan.

Within the next three months, the European Parliament will decide whether to ratify the EU – Turkmenistan Trade Agreement signed in 2010. Judging by the reception Berdymukhamedov was given on his first official visit to Switzerland last week and overtures of other European countries towards Turkmenistan, there is a strong chance that the EU might be inclined to decide in favor. Berdymukhamedov met with a number of high officials, including the President of the Swiss Confederation Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, who said that the country is ready to develop and broaden its partnership with Turkmenistan “in all directions.” He met with President of the National Council of the Federal Assembly of the Swiss Confederation, Hansjörg Walter, to discuss parliamentary relations; the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, who noted that the international community highly appreciates the important contribution of Turkmenistan in helping refugees and protecting their rights; the Director General of the UN Office in Geneva, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, to discuss cooperation between Turkmenistan and various UN agencies; the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Sven Alkalaj, who noted that the Economic Commission for Europe regards productive partnership with Turkmenistan as one of its priorities. Berdymukhamedov also took meetings with the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO); the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); and the Chairman of the Board of Solid Energy Solutions. The trip is a departure from the conduct of Berdymukhamedov’s predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, who rarely left the country, and kept Turkmenistan isolated from the world and from international institutions.

In addition to the overtures that Turkmenistan and Berdymukhamedov have made to European partners on a range of issues not only including energy and trade, but covering parliamentary and legislative exchanges with Germany, or on human rights with Poland, Turkmenistan has stepped up its involvement with the CIS since Niyazov’s time. Ashgabat hosted a round of CIS-related events, including a meeting of the Intergovernmental Council for the agricultural sector of the CIS, an International Scientific-Practical Conference on improving food security in the CIS, and the VII Forum of Creative and Scientific Intelligentsia of the CIS countries.

With its increased international engagement, Turkmenistan continues to flex its energy muscles, boasting a position as a world oil and gas giant that seeks to ramp up extraction. Since the beginning of the year, Turkmen refineries have processed 4.878.700 million tons of hydrocarbon raw materials, according to a source at the oil and gas industry ministry. The source has said that in 2015 Turkmenistan looks to raise its oil processing capacity to 15 million tons per year, to 20 million tons in 2020, to 22 million tons in 2025, and to 30 million tons in 2030.

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