Berdimuhamedov and Karimov are so cute together. Image by Flickr user cammyclaudia (CC-usage).

Turkmenistan President Gurbanguli Berdimukhamedov invited his Uzbekistan counterpart Islam Karimov to pay a visit to Turkmenistan at his convenience.  The offer was initiated by Berdimukhamedov and accepted by Karimov; the terms of the visit will be coordinated through diplomatic channels, Turkmenistan.Ru notes.  Awww so sweet…  So, what’s really going on?

According to Trend.Az, a large multinational energy project, the Turkmenistan-China pipeline, connects the two countries.  The pipeline will pass through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and is close to completion. According to the Turkmenistan president, the pipeline project, which will pass through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, is close to completion.  Hmmmmmm.

The purported capacity of the pipeline is 40 billion cubic meters of gas. Participating countries have emphasized that the transnational project is intended to enhance their collective socio-economic development.  Its opening is scheduled for early 2010.

“[The] pipeline is a bright symbol of friendship and cooperation between the neighboring nations,” Karimov remarked to official press sources after Berdimukhamedov’s phonecall.

Putting sunshine and smiles aside for a moment, the reality is that official levels can’t solve the problems these two countries have nowadays.  Or, to be accurate, such things can’t solve real problems: the leadership is more concerned with securing its own immediate profit and stability than addressing the numerous human rights abuses and violations of democracy that have gone on under their watch.  How else can we explain an Uzbek president ignoring the plight of his countrymen in the Dashoguz province, which is right across the border in Turkmenistan but worlds apart in basic decency?