25.03.2020

Akhal-Teke

Ashgabat’s approach has been to shut all borders and suspend all international travel.

Officials do not explain why they are imposing such stringent internal restrictions if Turkmenistan is, as they insist, genuinely coronavirus-free.

There has been grim news this week out of Turkey, where as many as 37 nationals of Turkmenistan are reported to have died after using surrogate alcohol to ward off possible coronavirus infection.

This incident is a sad example of the tragedies that can occur when people have limited access to reliable advice on how best to protect their health.

Back in Turkmenistan, the government has largely maintained its tomblike silence… >> подробнее

19.03.2020

Akhal-Teke

The government is pointedly ignoring the global crisis. The very word “coronavirus” has made no appearance on any official websites since March 5.

Contrary to what has been reported in some quarters, Turkmenistan’s president has not devised a method for specifically warding off the coronavirus COVID-19.

Instead, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, addressing a government meeting on March 13, spoke generally about the protective properties of the plant known in Turkmen as yuzarlik (Peganum harmala). When burned, the plant can apparently be used to fumigate the home and thereby prevent the spread of all kinds of infectious diseases. The timing of these recommendations makes it obvious the president had COVID-19 in mind, however.

13.03.2020

Akhal-Teke

Bad news from China, good news from Morocco, and no news on coronavirus: This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

According to March 5 reports from Bloomberg and Reuters, PetroChina is on the cusp of resorting to force majeure provisions to suspend natural gas imports, including possibly from Turkmenistan.

Officials in Ashgabat seemed to be in the dark about what was looming though. “If this is the case, we hope this measure will be short-term and will not affect long-term, strategic and mutually beneficial Turkmen-Chinese partnership in the gas sector,” one Turkmen source told Reuters.

The government is circumspect on the specifics of Chinese-Turkmen energy cooperation, but it… >> подробнее