The Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) published an editorial on the government website outlining its vision for a "European vector" or the inclusion of the European Union in the diversification of energy sales among various customers.
Austrian President Heinz Fischer visited Turkmenistan for energy talks with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH) reported.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov relieved Prosecutor General Chary Hojamyradov of his duties in accordance with a request from the Mejlis (parliament), trend.az reported. On the surface, the dismissal appeared to be related to Hojamyradov’s poor health and his petition to retire addressed to the Mejlis, which had formally appointed him.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly this year was not as momentous as his first in 2007, when hopes were high for his reforms.
The State Department released its annual International Religious Freedom Report on September 13, writing of "troubling government practices" in Turkmenistan regarding the treatment of religious groups, yet failing to designate Turkmenistan as a "country of particular concern" (CPC).
The European Union announced on its website europa.eu on September 12 that it had adopted a mandate to negotiate a legally-binding tripartite treaty among the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to build the Trans Caspian Pipeline System -- the first EU treaty of its kind to s
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov will soon release a new "spiritual guidebook" for the country that will replace the long-used "Rukhnama" (Book of the Soul) of his predecessor, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports.
As President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov nears the end of his fifth year in power and faces president elections next February, his cult of personality appears to be becoming more entrenched.
