Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Turkmenistan's flagship airline has suspended flights to Moscow, it said on Wednesday, citing safety concerns after Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian capital.

"Due to the situation in the Moscow air zone, and based on a risk assessment in order to ensure flight safety, all Turkmenistan Airlines flights on the Ashgabat-Moscow-Ashgabat route will be suspended," the airline said in a statement.

Turkmenistan Airlines said it would now fly instead to Kazan, which is more than 700 km (440 miles) east of Moscow.

ARKADAG, Turkmenistan, June 29 (Reuters) - Turkmenistan opened a new, futuristic "smart" city on Thursday dedicated to its former president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

The city is named Arkadag, or protector, an unofficial title by which Turkmen media have long referred to Berdymukhamedov, who on Thursday marked his 66th birthday by travelling to the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

A source close to the government told Reuters the new city for 73,000 residents cost $3.3 billion to build and there were plans to spend as much again in the next few years.

ASHGABAT, April 20 (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen inaugurated a permanent embassy in the Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan on Thursday, establishing his country's closest diplomatic presence to Iran, as Israel seeks to strengthen ties to its arch-foe's neighbours.

Although the countries established diplomatic relations 30 years ago, there had only been a temporary Israeli mission in Ashgabat and predominantly Muslim Turkmenistan still has no embassy in Israel.

20 Apr 2023; MEMO: Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen yesterday arrived in Turkmenistan to inaugurate a new Israeli embassy in the country's capital city of Ashgabat, located only 13 kilometers away from the Iranian border.

This is the first time in 30 years that an Israeli foreign minister has visited the country, which is known to be one of the most closed countries in the world.

ASHGABAT, January 19. /TASS/: Russian oil remains in demand on the world market, as it is difficult to ensure global energy balance without it, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on Thursday.

"It should go without saying that our oil is in high demand. In terms of exports, we have a sizable market share. As a result, ensuring energy balance today is difficult to achieve without Russian oil," he said.

Novak also noted that oil output and exports in January remain at the level of December.

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan established a political dynasty Tuesday, as authorities said the son of the Central Asian country’s leader won its presidential election after an unusual vote-counting delay.

Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, was the overwhelming favorite in Saturday’s election to lead the isolated, gas-rich country and succeed his father, Gurbanguly. The central election commission said Serdar Berdymukhamedov won 72.97% of the votes.

His nearest rival in a field of nine candidates was university official Khyrdyr Nunnayev, who won 11%.

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan citizens are voting Saturday in an election that could mark the beginning of a political dynasty for the gas-rich Central Asian nation’s sitting president.

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, 64, announced the vote last month, setting stage for his 40-year old son Serdar to take over.

Serdar Berdymukhamedov has risen through a series of increasingly prominent government posts and most recently has served as the country’s deputy prime minister, answering directly to his father.

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — The president of Turkmenistan is calling for an end to one of the country’s most notable but infernal sights — the blazing natural gas crater widely referred to as the “Gates of Hell.”

The desert crater located about 260 kilometers (160 miles) north of the capital, Ashgabat, has burned for decades and is a popular sight for the small number of tourists who come to Turkmenistan, a country which is difficult to enter.

MOSCOW, Oct 12 (NNN-Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on Friday of the threats posed by the U.S. military buildup to global security.

At a CIS summit in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat, Putin recalled the United States withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and intention to deploy previously banned missiles.

ASHGABAT, October 11. /TASS/: Turkey may not be able to contain militants from the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) active in northern Syria while conducting a military operation in the region, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State.