OREANDA-NEWS. February 21, 2008.New Europe Weekly, published in the EU capital – Brussels, placed the article on occasion of the anniversary of nationwide election Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov President of Turkmenistan in his latest issue. Below is the text of the article:

"First Year of Presidency"

On February 14 it will have been a year since Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov’s election as President of Turkmenistan. During his electoral campaign Berdymuhamedov didn’t promise an easy and care-free life to the Turkmen people, but stressed the need of everyday persistent work and necessity of changes in the agricultural industry, the educational and health care system.

The first year of his Presidency certainly shows that Berdymuhamedov didn’t make it easy for himself. The newly elected president travelled to all his neighbouring countries, made a fruitful trip to China, attended the Shanghai Organization of Cooperation summit and the CIS summit in Dushanbe, visited the Emirates, addressed the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York and conquered Europe during his visit to Brussels in November last year.

President Berdymuhamedov’s omnipresence on the international political scene brought immediate success. An impressive number of over 300 international delegations visited the country in his first year of Presidency. International institutions and organisations declared their intention to extend cooperation with Turkmenistan. The country became a host to the United Nations regional centre for preventative diplomacy that opened in Ashgabat at the end of last year and the European Union will open a special Euro-house in Ashgabat in March of this year. The extended European efforts to deepen relations with Turkmenistan have been answered last week by appointment of the Consul of Turkmenistan to Belgium, Brussels. This special Presidential envoy is a CEO of a major energy company and known to promote the interests of Turkmenistan very actively.

Also in national politics President Berdymuhamedov took power and showed his leadership.

The educational system was his first and immediate concern where drastic reforms have been put in place, increasing the terms of studies in schools and universities, encouraging exchange programmes with foreign universities, paying special attention to training programmes at an international level. At the same pace the - for Turkmenistan - strategic oil and gas sector has been developed, deciding to build new export pipelines to Russia and China. Turkmenistan is clearly preparing itself for an increase in energy exports, making use of the newest exploration technologies onshore and attracting foreign investments for the offshore activities in the Turkmen part of the Caspian shelf.

Proof of the new regimes modern policy is also shown in their intent to construct a fully integrated solar energy cluster in the country. The project will be the first to build worldwide, leaving no doubt on the ambitions to maintain Turkmenistan amongst the world leaders in energy export.

President Berdymuhamedov’s further ambitions are set “As for me personally – my primary goal I consider to be the protection of rights and freedom of people, ensuring equality and lawful conduct for all of the country’s citizens and creation of a highly developed society,” the Turkmen leader said. If the president continues at the same speed, this country will become a Central Asian tiger to be watched.