Turkmenistan Archives

9 Minutes

English Top Stories

ANALYSIS: Turkmenistan diversification of gas exports, from chimeras to pragmatism?

bluedomes September 13, 2023 0 Comment

For years Turkmenistan has been unsuccessful in diversifying its natural gas exports, but that is slowly changing. In the last months, we have witnessed Ashgabat exploring new markets for its gas, reigniting old ones,...

5 Minutes

English

Where is Arkadag?

bluedomes May 14, 2023 0 Comment

Turkmenistan’s National Leader and former president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has been missing for the past three weeks. His son and president has kept his agenda, traveling to Moscow and Tajikistan, as if nothing is happening....

5 Minutes

English

Turkmenistan looks to the Gulf

bluedomes February 23, 2023 1 Comment

In the space of just a few days, Turkmenistan’s power duo of father and son have met with high-ranking officials of the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain. Seeking additional investment for its troubling economy seems...

6 Minutes

English

The Awaza tripartite summit, a lacklustre event

bluedomes December 16, 2022 1 Comment

The much-awaited meeting of the presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan finally took place in mid-December. For all the buzz of three Turkic, and more specifically Oghuz, countries meeting trilaterally, the outcome of the...

6 Minutes

English

Turkmenistan joins the Turkic club, but at what price?

bluedomes October 4, 2022 3 Comments

Turkmenistan will finally become a member of the Organisation of Turkic States. A much-desired prize by Ankara that has lobbied in the past for Ashgabat to join its project. However, questions remain about the...

6 Minutes

English Top Stories

Conscripts in Central Asia, a dangerous obligation

bluedomes August 22, 2022 0 Comment

Soldiers in the Central Asian republics have to face worse dangers than enemy bullets or shells. Bullying, hazing, accidents, and psychological pressure are responsible for a large share of deaths and injuries among conscripts,...

4 Minutes

English

No more antics as former Turkmen president passed baton to son

bluedomes August 11, 2022 1 Comment

Five months after leaving the presidency, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has relinquished being the centre of attention in favour of his son. It would now seem like his public role is mostly limited to menial domestic...

8 Minutes

English Top Stories

Turkey and Central Asian military cooperation: more than just drones

bluedomes May 25, 2022 12 Comments

From arms sales to joint military exercises and cooperation agreements, in the last few years Turkey has stepped up its security links with the Central Asian nations. This has opened new opportunities for the...

7 Minutes

English History

The hidden treasures of Turkmenistan (part II)

bluedomes May 21, 2022 2 Comments

As we explored in The hidden treasures of Turkmenistan (part I), the Central Asian country has a rich heritage largely unknown to the great public. In this second part we will explore four more...

8 Minutes

English

New, and not so new, alternatives for Turkmen gas

bluedomes November 8, 2021 1 Comment

In the last months, several possible export routes for Turkmenistan’s gas have emerged. Much welcomed news for a country dependant on its natural gas, and that is going through hard economic times. However, questions...

7 Minutes

English Top Stories

Realising the potential of Uzbek-Turkmen relations

bluedomes October 11, 2021 3 Comments

On October 4 Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov landed in Tashkent as part of a two-day visit to Uzbekistan. His counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, greeted him as soon as the Turkmen set foot on the runway. This was...

4 Minutes

English

Central Asian leaders’ meeting yields results even before taking place

bluedomes August 5, 2021 3 Comments

On August 5 and 6 the Central Asian presidents are meeting in the Turkmen resort of Avaza to celebrate the Third Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. A symbolic event...

5 Minutes

English

Turkey prioritises Uzbekistan in recent Central Asian tour

bluedomes March 13, 2021 0 Comment

The Turkish Foreign Minister’s trip to Central Asia brought him to Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, but it was in the latter where he spent most of his time and where the more significant agreements...

3 Minutes

English

Another step towards dynastic succession in Turkmenistan

bluedomes February 12, 2021 0 Comment

The appointment of the president’s son to new positions in the government reinforces the message that Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov wants his offspring to succeed him at the head of the Central Asian nation. In mid-February,...

6 Minutes

English

Homosexuality in Central Asia: A problem of social mentality?

bluedomes January 16, 2021 0 Comment

Members of the LGBTQ community throughout Central Asia suffer unimaginable hardships. Each day they are forced to decide between living openly, which could lead to punishment and death under their oppressive regimes or hiding...

8 Minutes

English History

The hidden treasures of Turkmenistan (part I)

bluedomes October 26, 2020 4 Comments

At the crossroads of the Silk Road, Turkmenistan has a rich historical heritage that is greatly unknown to the general public. The country’s isolationist policies and the limited number of tourists it receives contributes...

5 Minutes

English

Turkmenistan’s new book: a second Ruhnama?

bluedomes September 29, 2020 0 Comment

Turkmenistan’s president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, completed his 53rd book on August 5th, and it was subsequently released to the public with a ceremonious exhibition on September 5th. Titled “Türkmeniň döwletlilik ýörelgesi” in Turkmen, it has...

7 Minutes

English

Turkmenistan, the land of the rumours

bluedomes September 13, 2020 3 Comments

The lack of reliable and verifiable information is the breeding ground for rumours. This is a phenomenon that is widespread in Turkmenistan due to the opaqueness of the regime. From conspiracy theories involving a...

6 Minutes

English

Reemphasizing everyday traditions in Central Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic

bluedomes August 28, 2020 0 Comment

As most of the world has resigned to staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased emphasis on rediscovering traditions, customs, and familial connections. The coronavirus has forced humanity to contemplate what...

5 Minutes

English

Turkmenistan, the Kuwait that never was

bluedomes August 16, 2020 1 Comment

Turkmenistan is best known today for its eccentric dictator and a deep economic crisis that has resulted in shortages of basics foodstuffs, large unemployment and an exodus for those that can leave the country....

4 Minutes

English

In the fields of wheat: an authoritarian obsession

bluedomes July 5, 2020 1 Comment

The Central Asian republics have been shaped by the personality of their leaders since their independence from the Soviet Union. From Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev to Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev, they all have developed different leadership...

8 Minutes

English

Tajik and Turkmen migrant workers susceptible to ISIS

bluedomes April 27, 2020 1 Comment

Coronavirus has introduced mass instability worldwide and can have especially dangerous political effects in regimes that do not acknowledge the presence or threat of the pandemic. Undoubtedly, coronavirus has had a significant impact on...

4 Minutes

English

Football in times of coronavirus

bluedomes April 13, 2020 0 Comment

Sports, like many other aspects of everyday life, have come to a standstill in the world as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Football junkies have no other option but to re-watch matches and...

4 Minutes

English

Ashgabat, the apple of the regime’s eye

bluedomes March 20, 2020 0 Comment

The latest developments in Turkmenistan as a result of the coronavirus have demonstrated once again that the capital, the marbled pride and joy of the regime, takes priority over the rest of the country....

9 Minutes

Español

Del zar a Nazarbáyev: las ciudades de Asia Central y sus nombres

bluedomes March 2, 2020 1 Comment

Durante siglos, Londres ha sido Londres, París ha sido París y Roma ha sido Roma. A pesar de revoluciones, guerras y demás convulsiones, los nombres de esas ciudades se han mantenido igual tras evolucionar...

9 Minutes

English Top Stories

What is in a name? The (re)naming of cities in Central Asia

bluedomes March 2, 2020 5 Comments

For centuries, London has been London, Paris has been Paris and Rome has been Rome. Despite revolutions, wars and upheavals, the names of those cities have remained the same after evolving naturally from their...

7 Minutes

English

Turkmenistan and Tatarstan, more than just a special relationship

bluedomes February 24, 2020 3 Comments

On February 17th Turkmenistan’s new Minister of Industry and Construction Operations paid a visit to the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, part of the Russian Federation. This in itself should not deserve more...

5 Minutes

English Top Stories

A majolica façade: Central Asia’s fabricated political parties

bluedomes January 14, 2020 1 Comment

In the last weeks, the Uzbek people have gone to the polls to elect their representatives for the Oliy Majlis, the lower house of parliament. The nation was able to choose between five different...

9 Minutes

English Top Stories

Interview with Carlos Hernández, a Spanish journalist inside Turkmenistan

bluedomes December 12, 2019 0 Comment

Carlos Hernández (Madrid, 1969) is an award-winning Spanish journalist with a wide international experience. Recently he has become one of the few foreign journalists that has been able to enter Turkmenistan incognito. In a...

6 Minutes

English Top Stories

Graphomania among the Central Asian leaders

bluedomes December 10, 2019 2 Comments

It is not uncommon for politicians to write books. Once they have left the reins of power, one can expect them to write their memoirs in which they justify their past deeds and settle...