Ensuring business deals in Turkmenistan requires an undignified routine of brown-nosing, as Siemens CEO Klaus Kleinfeld showed in his sickening gratitude to Saparmurat Niyazov for sending him a signed copy of the second installment of …

In case anybody was wondering what it was the Oil and Gas Minister Guychnazar Tachnazarov did to make Niyazov so cross, it turns out that he appropriated government property to the tune of $290 million. …

A new cartoon called “Tapmacha” (“The Puzzle”) produced by state film company Turkmentelekinofilm represented Turkmen cinema at the 20th International Youth Cinema Festival in Esfahan, Iran. The festival is also featuring the work of directors …

The sound of falling axes has been heard once again at Cabinet office in Ashgabat. Yesterday, Niyazov dismissed Oil and Gas Minister Guychnazar Tachnazarov during a Cabinet meeting for his “grave shortcomings”. In what is …

The Ukrainians have gone visiting, so it was only natural the Russians would follow suit. Niyazov’s latest visitors, also in town to mark the Independence celebrations, were the Russian presidential energy envoy Igor Yusufov and …

Earlier this month, Naftohaz Ukrayiny CEO Oleksiy Ivchenko visited Ashgabat to negotiate the future of gas supplies from Turkmenistan to Ukraine. In a now-notorious televised encounter President Niyazov harangued Ivchenko over Ukraine’s alleged failure to …

And so the day has finally arrived. As this post went to press, the plans were for a military parade in Ashgabat’s main square (Independence Square, fittingly), followed by some kind of theatrical performance and …

It must be nice when a foreign politician deigns to visit your much-maligned country to tell how well it is doing, how well its people are living, and what a good job is being done …

And so the saga of the Turkmen-Ukraine gas deal continues to plod on. This time round Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov is visiting Ashgabat in a bid to iron out the latest hitch. For those …