Turkmenistan Still Neutral but Meaning of that Status is Evolving, Volkov Says

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Jan. 30 – Turkmenistan, known for its constitutional commitment to neutrality, is still neutral but the meaning of that status has changed as Ashgabat has become increasingly active internationally, according to Vitaly Volkov, perhaps Moscow’s leading commentator on that little known country.
    Ever more countries are interested in developing ties with Turkmenistan, he says; but few of them, including Russia and the United States, are in a position to  move Ashgabat as far as they would like. They each can get some of what they want on specific projects but not a wholesale alliance of any kind (stanradar.com/news/full/56683-tak-li-nejtralen-nejtralnyj-turkmenistan-intervju-s-vitaliem-volkovym.html).
    The reason for that, Volkov continues, is the interrelationship between the way in which Turkmenistan is ruled and the foreign policies it adopts. Much of the political landscape of Turkmenistan is divided among family members of the ruler and so any dramatic move across the board is thus extremely risky for the current constellation of power.
    The current president would like to change that, but so far, the Russian observer says, he has not been able to do much in that regard. Unless that happens, Ashgabat may become even more active internationally but it isn’t likely to move into one camp or the other but remain neutral, albeit neutral in ways very different from what it was earlier.
    For a discussion of what the current Turkmenistan ruler is doing in the security area and how this by itself is leading to a changed understanding of neutrality in Ashgabat, see jamestown.org/program/turkmenistan-expanding-military-to-support-its-increased-international-activity/.