Turkmenistan
Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1925. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.
Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects can be worked out (there are no export routes at present). Yet it is still impoverished, and since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 has remained largely closed to the outside world. With foreign investors keeping away, the Turkmen economy remains underdeveloped. A notable obstacle to development is a dispute between the Caspian Sea littoral states over the legal status of the sea where the oil wells are to be found.
Former President Saparmurat Niyazov, leader for two decades, died on December 21 2006, apparently due to a heart attack. Saparmyrat Niyazov became Turkmen Communist Party chief in 1985. In 1991 he was elected the first President of independent Turkmenistan, and in 1999 the country's supreme legislative body made him president-for-life. There was no Vice President or Prime Minister. Niyazov called himself Turkmenbashi, or Father of the Turkmen, and fostered an all-pervasive cult of personality. The country was effectively a one-party state, led mostly by former communists. There was no significant opposition and no independent media.
Niyazov left no designated successor. Turkmenistan's State Security Council named Deputy Prime Minister Kurbanguli Berdymukhamedov the acting president, even though the constitution required Parliament Speaker Overzgeldy Atayev to take over as acting head of state. The Council said the Prosecutor General's office had opened a criminal investigation against Atayev (with unspecified charges), making him ineligible to fill in as president.
Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov took oath as Turkmenistan's new president on February 14, 2007, after winning the February 11 poll. Berdymukhamedov won an overwhelming 89% of the vote, the central election commission said, in a poll which permitted no opposition candidates. In his inaugural address, the new president pledged to follow the ways of his predecessor, but he also promised long-awaited reforms. On taking office, Berdymukhamedov called for a reorganization of the education system, greater internet access and bigger pensions. He has also suggested that another political party might eventually be allowed to exist. There were reports that two former ministers have been released from prison, and that some officials were discussing whether to review the cases of other political prisoners.
As the vast majority of the population is Turkmen, the country has been largely free of inter-ethnic hostilities, in contrast to other former Soviet republics. Strong tribal allegiances can be a source of tension, however.
While there are no specific threats against travelers to Turkmenistan, its proximity to Afghanistan and other states with Islamic militancy, as well as porous borders, remains a concern.
Photography of many official buildings is forbidden. You should check before taking photographs near possibly sensitive sites -- airports, military barracks, police stations, etc.
Carry an identity document at all times. Requests to produce proof of identity, for example by the police, are frequent.
