Turkmenistan Local Politics - The Times Of Central Asia

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Turkmen Dissidents Mark Anniversary of Deadly Storm With Government Protest

On April 27 activists from the Warsaw Post-Soviet Dissident Alliance will hold a protest in Warsaw, Poland, against the Turkmen government. The event is being organized in memory of the dozens of victims of the 2020 windstorm in the city of Turkmenabat. The protest will mark the fourth anniversary of the April 27 storm that brought hurricane-force winds to Turkmenabat. The storm claimed dozens of lives, but authorities in Ashgabat have never mentioned it -- nor have they offered any support to the victims' families. Rather, criminal cases were opened against the volunteers who tried to help people in the city on their own, the Warsaw Alliance have claimed in a statement. The Alliance is demanding that Turkmen authorities acknowledge the storm as a historical fact, disclose the number of dead and injured, pay compensation to the injured citizens and their families, and declare April 27 as a day of mourning. On 27 April 2020 there was a severe windstorm in Turkmenistan. The gales damaged a number of settlements in the Turkmenabat region, leaving hundreds of people homeless. Electricity, gas and drinking water were cut off for several days in places like Lebap, Turkmanabat (partially), Kerki and Farob (completely). Turkmen state television made no mention of the storm. The windstorm also crossed into Uzbekistan, where one death and 41 injuries of various degrees were reported. In contrast to the response of the Turkmen government, Uzbekistan's president Shavkat Mirziyoyev immediately flew to the city of Bukhara, where there was the most damage, to meet with residents.

Central Asia Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Local Politics Local Politics

Turkmenistan’s Government Employees Should Know President’s Biography in Order to Pass Certification

According to a report by the Chronicles of Turkmenistan, the main questions asked to employees of state bodies in Turkmenistan during the attestation period are related to the president and his relatives. This year, employees of the Transport and Communications Agency, the Health and Medical Industry, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, the Ministry of Public Education, and the Turkmen Oil Concern were certified in Ashgabat. Reportedly, employees of these institutions were warned about the need to pass the certification, and people were prepared for questions about their profession and job responsibilities, with those who had bought a diploma and didn't have a deep understanding of their specialty especially worried. However, the examiners were not interested in the civil servants' professional knowledge, but in the biography of President Serdar Berdymukhamedov. People were asked where he was born and educated, what positions he held, his family members and the books he has purportedly written. Not all civil servants passed the certification. Managers have threatened to demote or cut their salaries of those who failed, whilst encouraging their employees to apply for recertification, the report stated.

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Turkmenistan Stops Selling Tickets to Russia for Migrant Laborers

In a number of regions of Turkmenistan, the sale of air tickets to citizens who have received an official offer to work in Russia has been suspended, according to news portal Turkmen.news. The halting of ticket sales is related to the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall near Moscow on March 22 of this year. Following the attack on March 22, the departure of labor migrants from Turkmenistan to Russia suddenly stopped. Those who have received invitations to work and applied for visas have learned that they cannot purchase tickets for the time being. Recently, twelve undocumented workers from Turkmenistan, who worked in one of the markets in Domodedovo near Moscow, were arrested. Four were released after being fined, and eight were transferred to a special detention center in the city of Yegoryevsk, Moscow region, for deportation. According to Chronicles Turkmenistan, there are 47 citizens of Turkmenistan being held at a pre-trial detention center in Vidnoye who are awaiting deportation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Russian Government has begun discussing the possibility of suspending the issuance of visas for Turkmens for at least one and a half years. An exception will be made only for diplomats and representatives of large businesses, according to a report.

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Travelers to Turkmenistan Still Forced to Pay for COVID-19 Test

Travelers flying to Ashgabat airport in Turkmenistan still have to pay for a COVID-19 test upon arrival, but don't have to actually take the test, according to a report by Chronicles of Turkmenistan. Passengers landing in Ashgabat are forced to pay 60 manat ($17 at the official rate) for a certificate showing a negative result, but officials are letting them leave the airport without conducting the test. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in May last year that the COVID-19 virus no longer had pandemic status. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan’s government has always denied that COVID-19 has ever been present in the country.

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President of Turkmenistan Pardons 356 Prisoners

President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdymukhamedov has pardoned 356 people who repented for their crimes in honor of Laylat al-Qadr (The Night of Power). The head of state signed the relevant decision at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, according to a report by the Turkmen state news agency. Representatives of the relevant law-enforcement agencies were instructed to release the prisoners and return them to their families in the near future. Furthermore, provincial, etrap (sub-provincial) and city mayors and other leaders were instructed to take appropriate measures to employ pardoned persons. On April 5-6, Muslims in Turkmenistan celebrate the night of power (gadyr gijesi in Turkmen), a symbol of virtue and spiritual purity. Laylat al-Qadr is, in Islamic belief, the night when Muslims believe the Quran was first sent down from heaven to the world, and also the night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.

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Turkmenistan’s Government-Supplied Agricultural Services Soar in Cost

The prices for several services provided by the state to farmers in Turkmenistan have increased several times over, according to a report from news portal Turkmen.news after reviewing documents showing the old and new prices for government goods and services. The price levels in the table are separated by different productivity per hectare, which, in turn, depends on the specific area of the crop. The table defines six stages of medium-fiber cotton yield from 7 (previously 6.4) to 40 centners (one centner is 100kg) per hectare. The price of mineral fertilizers for 1 hectare was 146.64 manat ($7.5 at market rate) in the past, but since the start of 2024 it has increased to 878.7 manats ($45). Seeds for 1 hectare were delivered for 38.83 manat ($2), and now for 103.51 manats ($5). It used to cost 53.88 manat ($2.50) to irrigate 1 hectare of land, but now it costs 208.6 ($10.50). The table also calculates the income of farmers based on all these costs. Before the recent increase in cotton and grain prices, the lowest-yielding tenants received 960 manat ($49) per hectare, and after all subtractions, they were left with just 8.6 manat ($0.40). For fields of the high productivity category - 40 centners per hectare, the standard initial income is 20,000 manat ($1,000), and after fees for state services - 15,000 manat ($770) per hectare. Tenants typically farm from three to 20 hectares, often up to five hectares, depending on their means. These are mostly useless, low-fertility croplands. There remains one glaring problem beyond the price hikes for government services and goods. In practice, farmers' costs aren't limited to payments for the aforementioned services. Firstly, farmers have plenty of informal costs. For example, a tractor driver hired by a farmer doesn't go to the field for free; they should be paid at least 100 additional manat just for showing up. Furthermore, things like timely supply of high-quality and mold-free seeds and fertilizers, the battle with chronic drought - all of these hindrances require large amounts of money to overcome. Second, the official quotas for fertilizer distribution by the state are greatly underestimated. Under government guidelines, 370 kilograms of urea and 500 kilograms of nitrogen are allocated for each hectare. According to the calculations of experienced farmers, at least 600 kilograms of urea are needed per hectare. But it's impossible to get that much at the state price, so one must buy additional fertilizers from private traders at a completely different, higher price. As a result, many villagers hand over their crops to the state and become indebted for all the above services. Villagers are looking for all kinds of additional ways to earn money, most of which are illegal. So, they rent fields for cotton and grain, but at the same time they grow vegetables on a part of the land. But this requires a more expensive rent payment and a separate contract. The result is that most of the farmers are giving up farming altogether and attempting...