The OSI Turkmenistan News Brief features a digest of the week's news from a spectrum of sources, with an analysis of recent developments. It is distributed free of charge every Friday in English and Russian. Subscribe or unsubscribe to the Turkmenistan News Brief using the email entry box located on the left of this page.

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Analysis

This week's summit of the European Union's troika and the foreign ministers of Central Asia in Ashgabat highlighted the EU's desire to enhance its energy security and independence from Russian export routes by reaching out to the region. The debate over whether and how to engage with Central Asian states without compromising on human rights continues to preoccupy the EU. The European Parliament established specific criteria for progress in Turkmenistan in 2006, including review of political prisoners' cases, prison access for the International Committee of the Red Cross, and increased freedoms for non-governmental organizations and independent media. Turkmenistan has made modest efforts to release some political prisoners and publicly affirm the need to bring its national legislation into conformity with international standards, but has not really addressed its core task: ceding authoritarian control over society.

Two human rights watchdogs, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, issued critical reports on the eve of the summit, indicating that Turkmenistan had done little to satisfy the list of EU concerns, and appealing to European leaders to push for further human rights compliance. Amnesty blamed both sides, saying the EU was not sufficiently pressuring Turkmenistan due to its energy needs.

Rather than pursue an aggressive linkage of trade and human rights, however, the EU opted to adopt a strategy of technical assistance, focusing on education and dialog projects. European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the opening of Europe Houses in various cities in the region would increase cooperation with civil society on issues such as education, public health, and the Internet. More aid is promised to assist on education and health care reform. Yet as Amnesty pointed out starkly: " Two human rights defenders in the summit's host country are serving their second year in prison to punish them for cooperating with foreign journalists and engaging in human rights activities." Numerous NGOs and religious groups had been punished for contact with foreigners or other independent activity, and a ban on foreign travel persists for many, the group noted.

U.S. government activity also focused on engagement rather than criticism this week, with the US sponsoring a seminar with some 30 Turkmen government officials, leaders of government-sponsored civic organizations and international legal experts on how to improve Turkmenistan's law on associations. Meanwhile, at least six NGOs remain unregistered despite repeated attempts to comply with existing regulations.

Domestic media avoided mention of any foreign criticism on internal problems, but highlighted Turkmenistan's superficial educational and health reforms. Another cryptic dismissal of a media official for unspecified "grave shortcomings in his work"—this time the head of Turkmen Altyn Asyr TV—underscored the great pressure on the state broadcaster to modernize media methods and technology while continuing to promote the government's reform efforts.

Coverage of a UNICEF-sponsored conference on maternal and child welfare emphasized the awarding of Turkmenistan with the status of "safe-baby" nation through participation in a UN program, but neglected to mention Turkmenistan's high rate of infant and maternal mortality and problems like youth drug addiction and malnutrition. The Turkmen government's website coverage of a seminar on the International Criminal Court (ICC) trumpeted Turkmenistan's "commitment to constructive cooperation in all forms of international partnership in the name of affirming the highest principles of humanism and justice, " but failed to mention that Turkmenistan has neither signed nor ratified the ICC treaty.

Digest

1. International Relations
a. U.S. President Bush Meets Turkmen President Berdymukhamedov
b. EU-Central Asia Summit in Ashgabat Raises Energy, Rights Issues
c. EU Troika Meets With Turkmen Government
d. Human Rights Watch Sets Benchmarks for EU Cooperation with Turkmenistan
e. Amnesty International Addresses Human Rights Concerns Prior to Ashgabat Summit
f. Turkmen Defense Minister Visits Baku for Military Cooperation Talks
g. U.S. Support for Development of Turkmenistan's NGO Legislation
h. U.S. Assistant Secretary for Central Asia Testifies Before U.S. Congress
i. EU-Sponsored Seminar on International Criminal Court in Ashgabat
j. Turkmenistan and UNICEF Hold Conference on Maternal/Child Health Care

2. Domestic Developments
a. President Fires Director of Turkmen Altyn Asyr TV

3. Economic News
a. India, Turkmenistan to Work on Gas
b. Turkmen President Invited Europeans to Take Part in Energy Projects