A republic of Central Asia, Turkmenistan borders Uzbekistan on the northeast, Kazakhstan on the northwest, the Caspian Sea on the west, Iran on the southwest, and Afghanistan on the southeast. Area: 488,100 sq km (188,500 sq mi). Pop. (1995 est.): 4,081,000. Cap.: Ashgabat (formerly Ashkhabad). Monetary unit: manat, with (Oct. 4, 1995) an official rate of 200 manat to U.S. $1 (316.18 manat = £1 sterling). President in 1995, Saparmurad Niyazov.
In January 1995 Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Russia agreed on the financing of a pipeline to enable Turkmenistan to export its natural gas to Western Europe via Iran and Turkey. A separate agreement with Iran provided for the construction of a pipeline to furnish Turkmen gas to Iran. Turkmenistan’s neighbours were concerned over the closeness of its ties to Iran but were unable to persuade Pres. Saparmurad Niyazov to reorient his foreign policy.
In October the U.S. company Unocal and Delta Oil Co. of Saudi Arabia announced plans to build a $3 billion pipeline to Pakistan via Afghanistan, while an Argentine company, Bridas, reported the discovery of a major natural gas field at Yashiar, east of Ashgabat.
Niyazov continued to ignore foreign attempts to pressure him into changing his human rights policies at home. In May he asserted that his stewardship of the country had resulted in no budget deficit despite social guarantees such as free water, gas, and electricity for citizens. He did not mention that these things were not widely available.
On July 12 a crowd of 300-500 people staged a demonstration--the first since independence--in Ashgabat protesting Niyazov’s dictatorial rule--he was the first Central Asian head of state to have his term of office extended into the next century--and calling for new presidential elections. The Turkmen opposition headquartered in Moscow denied involvement, and some Russian observers speculated that the protest may have been organized with the help of Russian officials annoyed at Niyazov’s pro-Iranian bent.
This updates the article Turkmenistan.