Turkmenistan's Council of Elders plans to bestow on President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov the formal title "Arkadag," meaning "protector," RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports.
Berdymukhammedov is frequently referred to as "Arkadag" in the state media and at official meetings and ceremonies.
When the 60-million-euro super-yacht Galkynysh swept into Turkmenistan’s run-down port of Turkmenbashi, ending a journey that had taken it from Italy, through the Black Sea and the Volga-Don Canal, it was a national event.
