Turkmenistan - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 823

Human Rights

Turkmen Rights Activist Diana Dadasheva Receives French Humanitarian Visa

Turkmen human rights activist Diana Dadasheva, founder of the civil rights platform Dayanch, has received a French humanitarian visa and relocated to Paris, a move that could allow her to seek political asylum. Dadasheva’s arrival in France follows years of activism focused on human rights issues in Turkmenistan and concerns among rights groups about her personal safety while she was living in Turkey. Although she had resided legally in Turkey for several years, activists feared she could face deportation to Turkmenistan. According to rights advocates, Dadasheva received repeated threats linked to her public activities. Her human rights work began after she personally experienced restrictions imposed by the Turkmen authorities. Dadasheva has said she was barred from leaving Turkmenistan for six years without explanation, an experience that later motivated her advocacy on behalf of migrant workers and women, as well as her engagement with international organizations. One issue she has frequently highlighted is the practice of travel bans imposed on Turkmen citizens, which rights groups have long criticized as arbitrary and lacking transparency. Concerns about Dadasheva’s safety were heightened by the experiences of other Turkmen opposition figures and activists living in Turkey. In 2023, Turkish authorities reportedly deported several Turkmen activists, including Farhad Meymankuliyev, Rovshen Klychev, and Serdar Durdylyev, according to rights advocates. Others, including Merdan Muhammedov, Alisher Sakhatov, and Abdulla Oruzov, were reportedly forcibly returned to Turkmenistan or faced a serious risk of deportation. Another prominent activist, Dursoltan Taganova, left Turkey after years of alleged harassment and detention and later received asylum in Canada. Dadasheva’s relocation to France was reportedly facilitated in part by the opposition movement Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan. Dadasheva has said she intends to continue her human rights work from France, including advocacy for the Turkmen community abroad.

Water Security

Megaprojects Instead of Quotas: How Central Asia’s Water Diplomacy Is Changing

Central Asia’s water politics are moving beyond Soviet-era quotas. As glaciers in the Tien Shan retreat and climate pressure increases, river management has become a question of energy security, food production, and regional stability. The Soviet-era system of river-water allocation has reached its limits, forcing Central Asian states to look beyond traditional negotiations and toward joint ownership of strategic water infrastructure. Even as regional governments learn to cooperate more closely, a new challenge is emerging on Central Asia’s southern frontier, one that could disrupt the region’s hydrological balance. The Illusion of Control Formally, Central Asia’s water resources are governed through a network of interstate institutions. The principal mechanisms are the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). On paper, the system appears effective. Twice a year, ahead of the spring-summer irrigation season and the autumn-winter period, representatives of the region’s countries meet to approve water-withdrawal quotas from the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river basins. At the end of 2025, for example, officials meeting in Ashgabat agreed on water allocations for 2026, setting total withdrawals from the Amu Darya at nearly 55.4 billion cubic meters. This framework has helped prevent open interstate conflicts by providing a permanent forum for dialogue. However, its foundation remains the 1992 Almaty Agreement, which essentially preserved a Soviet-era quota system designed for a single centrally planned state rather than a group of independent countries with competing interests. The greatest weakness of the system is the absence of any meaningful enforcement mechanism. If one country exceeds its agreed allocation during a drought year, there are no legal or economic penalties. Disputes are instead resolved through emergency negotiations between ministries or, in some cases, direct interventions by heads of state. A system dependent on political goodwill and personal relationships is increasingly fragile in an era of climate stress. Turning Water Disputes Into Joint Investments As the quota system shows signs of strain, Central Asian countries have begun experimenting with a more pragmatic approach: shared ownership of infrastructure. The central paradox of the Syr Darya basin is that upstream and downstream countries need water at different times of the year. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which control the river’s headwaters, require releases in the winter to generate electricity and heat their cities. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, meanwhile, need that same water in summer to irrigate millions of hectares of farmland. Winter releases often flow downstream when demand is low, while shortages emerge during the peak agricultural season. The proposed solution is the Kambarata-1 hydropower plant on Kyrgyzstan’s Naryn River, a project now estimated to cost around $4.2 billion. What makes the project unusual is its ownership structure. Under a 2024 agreement, Kyrgyzstan will hold a 34% stake, while Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will each own 33%. By investing billions of dollars in infrastructure located outside their territory, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are effectively purchasing seats at the decision-making table. As shareholders, they gain a direct role in determining reservoir operations, helping ensure water is...

Foreign Investment

U.S. Business Delegation Discusses Investment Opportunities in Turkmenistan

Representatives of leading companies from the United States were in Turkmenistan this week, reflecting efforts to deepen the economic relationship between the two countries. Business executives and government officials from both sides met at Turkmenistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ashgabat on June 3. The discussions followed a visit by Turkmen business leaders to the U.S. last month, during which they attended the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Maryland and other events. The forum in Ashgabat included representatives from U.S. companies Climate Compass, CNH Industrial, Coca-Cola, John Deere, Palo Alto Networks, Sig Sauer, Valley Irrigation, and Westport Trading Europe Limited, the state-run Turkmenistan News Portal reported. Nokerguly Atagulyyev, deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, led the Turkmen side. The American delegation was led by Eric Stewart, head of the U.S.-Turkmenistan Business Council and former deputy assistant secretary for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Department of Commerce. While participants acknowledged that American companies have been operating in Turkmenistan for many years, “the high interest of the U.S. business community in deepening effective bilateral cooperation was confirmed,” the Turkmen outlet said. It said key areas for collaboration included energy, transport, communications, the agro-industrial complex and the high-tech sector. U.S. goods trade with Turkmenistan was $152.7 million in 2025, according to U.S. government data. U.S. goods exports to Turkmenistan last year were $113.3 million, up 43.6% from the previous year, and U.S. goods imports from Turkmenistan were $39.4 million, up 169% from 2024. While those numbers are relatively low compared to the volume of trade between the U.S. and its bigger trading partners, the annual percentage increase is notable. Turkmenistan has major reserves of natural gas and oil, making it an attractive place for foreign companies to explore projects, according to the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat. However, the embassy says, Turkmenistan has yet to “implement reforms needed to create an inviting business climate where foreign investment and foreign investors are truly welcomed.”

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Coming Sunday

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, from October 19, we are the home of the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast. Chaired by seasoned broadcasters Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL’s long-running Majlis podcast and Michael Hillard of The Red Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region. This week, the team will be speaking with former Kyrgyz Ambassador to the U.S. Kadyr Toktogul about what it means for Kyrgyzstan to get a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

UNDP

UNDP Opinion: Central Asia – Shared Wildlife, Shared Landscapes, Shared Responsibility

As global leaders gather for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly in Samarkand, Central Asia has an opportunity to send a clear message to the world: protecting biodiversity is not only about saving species — it is about securing water, livelihoods, resilience and long-term stability for millions of people across our region. From the glaciers of the Tien Shan and Pamir mountains to the deserts, steppes and river basins downstream, Central Asia’s ecosystems are deeply interconnected across borders. Rivers flow between countries. Wildlife migrates through shared landscapes. Mountain ecosystems regulate water systems that sustain agriculture, energy production and communities far beyond the highlands themselves. Among the most powerful symbols of this shared natural heritage is the snow leopard — the silent guardian of Central Asia’s mountains. The snow leopard represents far more than a rare and iconic species. Its survival reflects the health of entire ecosystems that millions of people depend upon every day. Healthy mountain landscapes help secure freshwater resources, reduce disaster risks, sustain pastures and agriculture, preserve biodiversity, and strengthen resilience to climate change across the region. But today, these ecosystems are under growing pressure. Climate change is accelerating glacier melting and intensifying water stress. Land degradation, unsustainable grazing, habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss are placing increasing pressure on fragile mountain environments and rural livelihoods. Communities living closest to nature are often the first to feel the consequences — through declining water availability, degraded pastures, reduced agricultural productivity and increasing climate-related risks. These challenges do not stop at national borders. And neither can the solutions. Only a coordinated regional response can match the scale of the challenge. Protecting Central Asia’s mountain ecosystems requires countries to work together to conserve ecological corridors, strengthen transboundary protected areas, improve water and land governance, and invest in climate-resilient livelihoods for communities whose futures are closely tied to nature. There are already successful examples of regional agreements. For example, a highly successful transboundary nature conservation agreement in Central Asia protects the Ustyurt Plateau and the Turan Temperate Deserts. Spanning across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, this initiative has successfully safeguarded vulnerable ecosystems and migratory species like the saiga antelope and snow leopard. [caption id="attachment_50004" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Photo: Saiga calf. Kazakhstan/UNDP Kazakhstan[/caption] It is encouraging that transboundary cooperation has already taken shape across the region. Across Central Asia, governments, communities and development partners are already demonstrating that conservation and development can advance together. While each country's experience is unique, the lessons are remarkably similar: when communities benefit from healthy ecosystems, nature and people both thrive. In Kazakhstan, the snow leopard has become one of the clearest examples of how coordinated conservation efforts can help restore fragile ecosystems across borders. The species inhabits mountain systems that extend beyond national boundaries into China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan, making its protection inseparable from regional cooperation. Over the past decade, habitat countries have strengthened efforts to protect the species through national conservation strategies, expanded protected areas, and improved ecosystem monitoring. Supported by cooperation between the Government, UNDP, the Global...

El Niño

El Niño Could Bring Unusually Heavy Summer Rains to Central Asia, WMO Warns

Central Asia could face unusually heavy rainfall during the summer of 2026 as the climate phenomenon known as El Niño is expected to return in the coming months, according to forecasts from the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The WMO estimates there is an 80% chance that El Niño conditions will develop between June and August and a near or above 90% chance that they will persist until at least November. The organization says the event could contribute to a rise in extreme weather around the world, including heatwaves, droughts, and intense rainfall. According to the WMO, temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean have been steadily increasing and are approaching the thresholds typically associated with El Niño. Scientists have also detected a large reservoir of unusually warm water below the ocean’s surface, with temperatures more than six degrees Celsius above normal in some areas, providing additional energy for the phenomenon to intensify. For Central Asia, El Niño is often associated with higher-than-average precipitation. While the region is better known for its arid and semi-arid climate, past El Niño events have brought increased rainfall to parts of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said countries should prepare for the possibility of stronger droughts and heavy rains, as well as elevated risks of heatwaves on land and in the oceans. “We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Niño event, which will exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves both on land and in the ocean,” Saulo said. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the developing conditions as an urgent climate warning, saying El Niño would “pour fuel on the fire” of global warming and could accelerate the impacts of extreme weather worldwide. Seasonal forecasts released by the WMO also indicate that temperatures from June through August are likely to remain above normal across most regions of the world. Scientists note that while there is no evidence that climate change is making El Niño more frequent, a warmer atmosphere and warmer oceans can amplify its effects. The previous major El Niño episode, in 2023-2024, ranked among the five strongest on record and contributed to record global temperatures in 2024. The WMO says improved seasonal forecasting gives governments time to prepare for potential disruptions to agriculture, water resources, and disaster response systems before severe weather develops.