About our Turkmenistan news
Latest news on Turkmenistan (Turkmenia), covering Turkmen politics, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the Halk Maslahaty, Ashgabat (Asgabat), natural gas and the Galkynysh field, exports to China, the TAPI pipeline, the Caspian Sea, neutrality, human rights, the Turkmenistani economy and Central Asia.
Turkmenistan is a Central Asian country bordering Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Afghanistan and the Caspian Sea. Its capital, Ashgabat, is the political centre of a population of more than six million, while the Karakum Desert covers most of the land. The country holds some of the world's largest reserves of natural gas, which drive its economy and state budget.
Serdar Berdimuhamedov has been president since 2022. His father, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who led the country from 2006 to 2022, chairs the Halk Maslahaty, the People's Council. Most gas exports flow to China by pipeline, and Chinese companies help develop the Galkynysh field. Ashgabat also backs the TAPI pipeline to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India and has explored a route across the Caspian Sea.
Turkmenistan is classed as one of the least free countries in the world. Rights groups cite tight control of the media, internet censorship, limits on travel and little political opposition. The government stresses stability, development and state support for households. It also promotes its status of permanent neutrality, recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995, and offers Ashgabat as a venue for diplomacy.
Turkmen culture is shaped by its nomadic past and Islamic heritage. The country is known for hand-woven carpets, the Akhal-Teke horse, the Nowruz spring festival and the glowing Darvaza gas crater. Visitors come for the ancient Silk Road city of Merv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Caspian resort of Awaza. Ashgabat is famed for its white marble buildings.
Turkmen tribes lived under Persian, Mongol and later Russian rule before the region joined the Soviet Union in the 1920s. Turkmenistan became independent in 1991, and Saparmurat Niyazov, known as Turkmenbashi, led the country until 2006. His personality cult shaped national life for years. Many of the country's present policies, including neutrality and gas-led growth, date from that era.
Our ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ feed on Turkmenistan is constantly updated with the most relevant headlines from reliable sources. Whether you follow Ashgabat politics, gas and energy, relations with China and Russia or Central Asia as a whole, this feed is your essential source for Turkmenistan news and Turkmen news.