Turkmenistan Celebrated Novruz Turkmenistan celebrated Novruz Bairamy with many concerts, equestrian shows and other traditional performances. President Berdymukhamedov took part in the festivities together with foreign guests, including the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Organization Kasymjomart Tokayev, President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, President of Iran Makhmud Akhmadinejad, President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zadrari, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, and heads of delegations from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey. Source: Turkmenistan.ru, trend.az
Ashgabat Hosted International Conference on Novruz President Berdymukhamedov presided over the international conference “Novruz – the celebration of peace and humanism,” held in Ashgabat and organized by Turkmenistan's Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education for the occasion of Novruz celebrations. The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Organization, Kasymjomart Tokayev, President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, President of Iran Makhmud Akhmadinejad, President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zadrari, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Azerbaijan Deputy Prime-Minister Elchin Efendiev, Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Taner Yildiz, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Culture, Information and Tourism, Sultan Raev, and Deputy Chairman of the Kazakh Parliament, Kabibulla Jakupov, took part in the event. Source: Turkmenistan.ru
Businesswoman who defrauded Turkmenistan for $20 million remains under arrest The Moscow City Court has upheld the decision to extend the detention of a suspect in a $20 million embezzlement case in Turkmenistan until April 11. Aisoltan Niyazova, former Chair of the Board of Directors of Index Bank, is charged with stealing the money from the Central Bank of Turkmenistan. Investigators believe Niyazova embezzled the money from Turkmenistan in 2002 and later participated in schemes for illegally transferring it to banks in other countries, including Russia. In 2010, businessman Savely Burshtein was convicted in this case, while another individual, former Turkmenistan Central Bank employee Murad Garabayev, was acquitted. Niyazova pleaded not guilty. Niyazova has been on the international wanted persons list since April 2003. In January 2011 she was arrested in Switzerland and extradited to Russia. She has been in custody since then. Source: rapsinews.com
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