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| Map Credit: CIA World Factbook. |
Republic of Turkmenistan's Independence Day
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 25, 2012
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Turkmenistan as you celebrate twenty-one years of independence this October 27th.
The governments of the United States and Turkmenistan have both shown a strong commitment to enhancing our bilateral partnership. The United States greatly appreciates Turkmenistan’s cooperation and work to promote stability, integration, and prosperity in the region. We are working to broaden economic and commercial ties, build democratic institutions, and ensure the protection of human rights.
I wish the people of Turkmenistan a very happy Independence day with peace and prosperity in the years to come.
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| Map Credit: CIA World Factbook. |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Present-day Turkmenistan covers territory that has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. The area was ruled in antiquity by various Persian empires, and was conquered by Alexander the Great, Muslim crusaders, the Mongols, Turkic warriors, and eventually the Russians. In medieval times Merv (today known as Mary) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia in the late 1800s, Turkmenistan later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia. In 1924, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic; it achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves, which have yet to be fully exploited, have begun to transform the country. Turkmenistan is moving to expand its extraction and delivery projects. The Turkmen Government is actively working to diversify its gas export routes beyond the still important Russian pipeline network. In 2010, new gas export pipelines that carry Turkmen gas to China and to northern Iran began operating, effectively ending the Russian monopoly on Turkmen gas exports. President for Life Saparmurat NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential election in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a deputy cabinet chairman under NYYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president; he was reelected in February 2012.
