In 2012 Turkmenistan assumed the presidency of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the regional grouping formed in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union to promote cooperation between the former Soviet Republics.
English language university to be established in Turkmenistan
President Berdymukhamedov ordered his subordinates to examine the possibilities of opening a university in Ashgabat, where all the subjects will be taught in English, reported national TV channel Turkmenistan. It is expected that the new university will have departments of international economy, international law, and management.
As a young Turkmen woman who was deeply influenced by interaction with Peace Corps volunteers in the 1990s, I was filled with a wide spectrum of emotions upon hearing about the Peace Corps’ departure from Turkmenistan.
Uzbekistan gets a bad rap for its repressive government and dysfunctional economy. But the landscape can still take one’s breath away, as Japanese photographer Ikuru Kuwajima found during his first visit to the Central Asian nation.
Turkmenistan has pulled the plug on an expensive – and tardy – Iranian construction project. Even so, Ashgabat’s action is unlikely to cause a significant breach in bilateral relations.
