EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue: Official EU Statement
On 15 May 2013, the fifth Human Rights Dialogue between the Republic of Turkmenistan and the European Union took place in Ashgabat to discuss possibilities for concrete cooperation in the democracy, human rights, and rule of law sectors. The Turkmen delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vepa Khajiev, and included officials from the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of Justice, and Parliament. The EU delegation was led by Elisabeth Tison, Head of the Human Rights Guidelines Division in the European External Action Service.
The dialogue focused on judicial reform, prison conditions, national institutions for the protection of human rights, civil society development, freedom of expression and media, freedom of religion, the rights of minorities, women, and children, and cooperation in international fora. Several individual cases were also raised for discussion. The EU delegation also held consultations with representatives of international organizations active in Turkmenistan working in these sectors and proposed holding the next EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue meeting in 2014 in Brussels.
Source: eu-un.europa.eu
EU Raises Case Of Detained RFE/RL Correspondent
A European Union delegation has raised with Turkmen officials the case of detained RFE/RL Turkmen Service correspondent Rovshen Yazmuhamedov. Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said on May 17 that the delegation expressed concern over the detention Yazmuhamedov to Turkmen officials at the fifth Human Rights Dialogue between the Republic of Turkmenistan and the European Union in Ashgabat on May 15. "We have very specifically expressed concern about the arrest, have asked for details about the reasons for his arrest and whether his family, for example, and lawyers were authorized to visit him, and we will continue to monitor this closely," Kocijancic said.
Source: RFE/RL
Vatican Delegation Visited Turkmenistan
A delegation from the Vatican, headed by Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church McCarrick Theodore Edgar had a meeting at the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan to discuss culture, freedom of conscience and spiritual values. Turkmenistan has a Roman Catholic center that was registered in March 2010.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
Latvian President Visited Turkmenistan
President of Latvia Andris Berzins visited Ashgabat to meet with Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and discuss increased cooperation. Their talks culminated in the signing of documents, including a joint statement of the Presidents, an agreement of cooperation between Turkmenbashi city administration and Yurmala Duma (two port cities), an agreement on cooperation in the education sector, and an agreement to cooperate in combatting terrorism, organized crime, and illegal drug trafficking.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
Turkmen, Iranian leaders discuss cooperation prospects
Turkmenistan’s President Berdymukhamedov and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a phone conversation to discuss cooperation, the Turkmen government said on May 20. According to the report, the phone conversation was initiated by Iran.
Source: azernews.az
Battles Near Afghat – Turkmen Border Cause Concern
At the end of April, at the meeting of the Security Council Secretaries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Kyrgyzstan’s representative expressed his government’s concern about concentration of Taliban militants on the North-East of Afghanistan near the Tajik border. Recently the Taliban has significantly increased its militant activities in the Faryab province on the border of Turkmenistan, according to Vitaliy Volkov in an article published on the oppositional web-site “Turkmenistan Chronicles.” This may indicate Taliban’s plans to penetrate Central Asia, according to a report on Fergananews.com. The head of Turkmenistan’s opposition party in exile, the Republican Party, Nurmukhammed Khanamov, says that the developments in Faryab need to be taken very seriously. “So far, official Ashgabat has said nothing about increasing security measures on the border with Afghanistan. However, if the situation continues to develop as it does now, Berdymukhamedov will first try to demonstrate Turkmenistan’s ability to combat the threat on its own, but then, if it deteriorates, he will rush to bow down to Russia. Although, it is possible that today he hopes that he can rely on the US, because they use Turkmen airports for transporting humanitarian cargo to Afghanistan,” – says Khanamov. Sergei Abashin, the head of the Central Asia department at the Russian Institute of Ethnology, said “The fears that the Afghan Islamists will be more active in Central Asia after the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force troops has some likelihood. The question is in the scale of this ‘expansion.’”
Sources: Turkmenistan Chronicles, Jamestown Foundation, fergananews.com
Status of Caspian Not to be Resolved Soon: Expert
The legal status of the Caspian Sea will not be determined any time soon, according to the Regnum Information Agency, citing the statement that the Director General of Caspian Cooperation Institution, Sergei Mikheev, made on May 17 in Moscow at the conclusion of the international conference “Caspian Subregion: Security Threats and Stabilization Factors.” Mikheev excluded the possibility of new approaches towards resolving the issue.
Source: gundogar.org
Turkmenistan Second Worst in Resource Governance Index
The Resource Governance Index, prepared by the New York based Revenue Watch Institute, analyzed 58 countries whch jointly produce 85 percent of the world's petroleum, 90 percent of its diamonds and 80 percent of its copper, generating trillions of dollars in annual profits. The Institute’s research revealed that only 11 of the countries—less than 20 percent—have satisfactory standards of transparency and accountability. In the rest of the countries, the public lacks fundamental information about the oil, gas, and mining sectors. The highest scores were given to Norway (98 out of 100), the US (92 out of 100), Great Britain, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Peru. Russia placed 22 on the list with 56 points out of 100, ahead of China, which placed 36, and Saudi Arabia which placed 48, but behind India in the 12 place. Kazakhstan, Venezuela and South Africa placed 19th, 20th, and 21st places respectively. The lowest scorers included Turkmenistan, with a score of five, and Myanmar, with a score of four.
Source: Revenue Watch Institute
Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Turkmenistan Recalled
The Kyrgyz Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Bazarbai Mambetov, was recalled on March 14, according to the Kyrgyz information agency Kir Tag, citing the press service of the Kyrgyz President. Previously, Kyrgyzstan announced that the country’s ambassadors will be recalled if they fail to develop bilateral relations with the country where they are posted. To date, Kyrgyzstan has recalled eight ambassadors: from Belarus, the UK, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Belgium, China, and Iran. Turkmenistan is the ninth country where Kyrgyzstan no longer has a head of its diplomatic mission.
Source: trend.az
Belarus Recalled its Ambassador to Turkmenistan
Following Kyrgyzstan, Belarus also recalled its ambassador to Turkmenistan, Enver Bariev, due to a transfer to another job, reported Belarusian information agency BELTA, citing the Press Service of the President of Belarus. Official sources reported that on April 24 Bariev was appointed the Chair of the Belarusian sports society, Dinamo.
Source: gundogar.org
Ambassador of Spain accredited in Turkmenistan
The Ambassador of Spain to Turkmenistan, Jose Ignacio Karbahal, presented credentials to the Speaker of Turkmenistan’s Parliament, Akja Nurberdieva. “Spain is interested in broadening and deepening mutually beneficial and long-term relations with Turkmenistan, both bilaterally and in the framework of international organizations, including the European Union and the United Nations,” the Ambassador said.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
The UN Adopted Resolution Offered by Turkmenistan on Stable Transit of Energy Carriers
The delegates of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, at the initiative of Turkmenistan, have adopted a resolution on the transit of energy carriers, the UN News Center reported. The document is aimed at the development of international cooperation in ensuring reliable transportation of energy carriers on the international markets by pipelines and with use of other systems of deliveries. More than 70 states acted as co-authors of the document.
Source: trend.az
Turkmen Chess Player Wins World Championship Among Schoolchildren
Byagul Ezizova, a six-year-old chess player from Turkmenistan, was the winner of the World Chess Cup 2013 among children up to age 7. The young Turkmen chess player won a gold medal at chess competitions in Porto Carras (Greece) among 25 young players from 17 countries, with a 100 percent score - 9 points out of 9.
Source: turkmenistan.ru
Russian Citizen Sentenced to 6 Years for Stealing Money from Turkmen Bank
The Moscow district court sentenced the former Chair of the Board of Industrial Expert Bank (Russia), Aisoltan Niyazova, to six years of imprisonment for embezzling 20 million USD from Turkmenistan’s Central Bank. She was extradited from Turkmenistan to Moscow in September of 2011, and will now be serving her sentence in a regular security correction colony.
Source: lenta.ru
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