Map of Turkmenistan
Topic: Map, state symbols
Map of Turkmenistan



Source: Ayan Travel Company

General Information on Turkmenistan
Topic: Turkmenistan Information


Area: 488,100 sq km

Location: Central Asia. Turkmenistan is bordered by the Caspian Sea to the west, Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the east, and Iran and Afghanistan to the south.

Territories: Five administrative territorial provinces, or velayat:
Akhal, Balkan, Dashkhovuz, Lebap, and Mary

Terrain: Flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south. The Kara Kum desert comprises 80 percent of Turkmenistan's total area and is bound by a series of oases watered by the Amu Darya River in the north and by the Murgab, Tejen, and Artek rivers descending from mountains in the south. The Kara Kum Canal supplies water from the Amu Darya, west towards the Mary Oasis and onwards to Ashgabat.

Mountains: Kopetdag (highest point 2919 meters or 10,508 feet) located along the Iranian border in the south; Bolshoi (1880 meters or 6768 feet) and Maley Balkan (777 meters or 2797 feet) are located to the north-west of Kopetdag; Koitendag Peak (3137 meters or 11,293 feet) is located in the east on the border with Uzbekistan; Garabil and Badkhyz peaks are located in the south-east (slightly under 1000 meters or 3.600 feet in height)

Climate: Subtropical desert

Official Language: Turkmen. Russian is also widely spoken.

Religion: Sunni Muslim

Legal System: Based on civil law system

National Legislature: The Khalk Maslakhaty (People's Council) is the ultimate representative body, which meets once a year. The Mejlis (National Assembly) is the main legislature.

National government: Cabinet of Ministers, chaired by the President.

Electoral Suffrage: 18 years of age

Literacy: 98% over age 15

Education: Compulsory until age 14

Raw materials: oil, natural gas, coal, precious non-ferrous and rare metals, celestine, sulfur, bentonite and kaolin clays, iodine, bromine, potassium and common salts, marble onyx, various construction materials, fresh subsoil, mineral waters

Main exports: natural gas, oil, cotton, sulfur, hand-made carpets

Major Crops: cotton, wheat, melons

Currency: 1 manat = 100 tenne

Source: www.turkmenistanembassy.org

Turkmenistan and IAEA Sign an Agreement
Topic: Permanent Neutrality
On 17 May 2005 a ceremony of signing the Agreement between Turkmenistan and the IAEA on Applying the Guarantees in connection with the Non-Proliferation Treaty and Supplementary Protocol to that Treaty was held at the Headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

Signing the main documents regulating co-operation of the IAEA with other states and international organisations is an important step on the way of strengthening peace and security both in the region and in the world. It should be said that our country ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty in September 1994.

Thus signing the present Protocol was a logic continuation of the participation of Turkmenistan in process of non-proliferation and demonstrates the adherence of the country to the its international obligations of a neutral state steadily realising the policy of international co-operation in the sphere of peace and disarmament.

In connection with signing the documents mentioned above the IAEA General Director Mohamed El Baradei especially stressed the importance of co-operation between the IAEA and Turkmenistan in the sphere of non-proliferation. Speaking of that he said that the IAEA would closely co-operate with Turkmenistan in future as well, conducting special courses and seminars for the Turkmen specialists.

State Information Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH)

Turkmenistan Commits to 5 Years Plan of Action Under UNDAF
Topic: Foreign Relations
Ashgabat, 29 March 2005 (nCa) --- UN system in Ashgabat and the government of Turkmenistan signed Tuesday five years plan of action under the framework of UNDAF (United Nations Development Assistance Framework).

In a meeting held at the foreign office, UNDP, UN Population Fund and UNICEF inked the documents that would provide roadmap for the next five years for interaction between Turkmenistan and the UN system.

The plans of action, covering the period 2005-2009, have been prepared by the joint efforts of the Turkmen government and UN system.

Members of international organizations and their counterparts from various ministries and departments were present during the signing ceremony.

Khaled Philby, head of UNDP in Turkmenistan and the resident coordinator of the UN system, expressed gratitude to the government of Turkmenistan for extending active help and support in preparation of action plans that would help implement the development and assistance goals of the United Nations.

The framework agreement under which these action plans have been prepared was signed in Ashgabat on 27 February 2004.

The UNDAF is the planning framework for development operations of the UN system at country level. It consists of common objectives and strategies of cooperation, a programme resource framework and proposals for follow-up, monitoring and evaluation.

The UNDAF lays the foundation for cooperation among the UN System, government and other development partners through the preparation of a complementary set of programmes and projects. As a consequence, it enables the UN system to achieve the goal-oriented collaboration, coherence and mutual reinforcement called for by the UN General Assembly.

www.newscentralasia.com

Turkmenistan - EU: to the Full-Scale Co-Operation on the Basis of the Constructive Dialogue
Topic: Foreign Relations
May 13, 2005. Yesterday the Turkmen capital was a place of holding the 6th sitting of the European Union – Turkmenistan Joint Commission. A representative delegation of the European Commission and the EU countries headed by the head of the Directorate General for External Relations Huge Patrick Mingarelli took part in the meeting.

The Turkmen party was represented by a governmental delegation whose members were approved by the corresponding resolution of the President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov.

As it is known, a new stage of the co-operation between Turkmenistan and the EU began in November 2003 when President Saparmurat Niyazov sent a message to the address of the EU President, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy Silvio Berlusconi and the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi and confirmed Turkmenistan’s readiness for development of the constructive dialogue and fruitful co-operation in the international interests and welfare. As the head of the state stressed, Turkmenistan was always open for co-operation with the European structures on the basis of the concrete and efficient joint actions on a wide range of the issues including those of human dimension.

The dialogue on the priorities and prospects of the partnership between Turkmenistan and the European Community serving the aims of strengthening the potential of peace, good will and international co-operation was also continued during the present meeting.

The parties exchanged their views on the issues of mutual interest. The representatives of the European Commission specially stressed the growing interest of the European structures in the possibility of establishing a full-scale dialogue with Turkmenistan and expressed their support of the further strengthening trade and economic relations and realisation of the joint programmes and projects.

Practical steps made by Turkmenistan for stirring up the relations with the EU and the EU countries were highly appreciated by the Joint Commission members. Noting the high rates of the economic growth of Turkmenistan, the European partners called that factor a basic one for efficient fulfilment of the reforms both in the sphere of socio-economic development of the country and that of improvement of the democratic institutions of the state government.

Stressing the special significance of the Ashgabat forum in the context of the further strengthening the mutually advantageous relations between the EU and Turkmenistan, its participants stated the necessity of the regular contacts for the purpose of forming an efficient model of co-operation meeting the realia of the time and the spirit of the mutually advantageous and equal partnership.

Commenting on the visit of the EU delegation to Turkmenistan, the head of the Directorate General for External Relations Huge Patrick Mingarelli said: “ It is good that our present visit to Ashgabat was held within the framework of the established dialogue. Recently, we had managed to establish close co-operation in different spheres including agriculture, power engineering and environment protection. The participation of Turkmenistan in the regional TACIS programmes can prove it. As at present we face the common problems and tasks of further development, then our mutual stirring-up of solving those tasks will help us in our efforts to continue the dialogue. I am sure that co-operation between the European Union and Turkmenistan will be steadily strengthened.”

In his turn, the representative of the Duchy of Luxemburg Carlo Krieger said: “ I came to Ashgabat to discuss the theme connected with the human rights and freedoms alongside with the other ones. I consider the initiative of the government of Turkmenistan to be very important and I am sure that by means of the fruitful dialogue we will be able to co-ordinate our positions and find proper solutions.”

State Information Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH)