Turkmenistan life there pros and cons. Escape from "Paradise"
Photo from www.azathabar.org
Nury Khaytlyev
It was customary to say in Turkmenistan that it is a rich country that is awash in luxury. Turkmenbashi the First served as an example, golden statue which served as an example of the “golden system” in essence, throughout Central Asia. But the current President G. Berdimuhamedov is also not averse to swimming in like glory. Moreover, there is someone to sing his praises in his honor.
There is an employee of the archive of the President of Turkmenistan, doctor philosophical sciences Every day on TV and in newspapers, Ogulgozel Rejepova glorifies the glorious deeds of our president. Now she has undertaken to bring the “glory of Arkadag” to the Internet space, wanting to show the whole world what a good, humane, honest and fair ruler is in today’s Turkmenistan.
But behind the screen of imaginary well-being there is a completely different picture. And people were deprived of benefits long ago, and there are still many reasons why ordinary Turkmen cannot establish their way of life and normal life. For example, since last year, domestic consumption of fuel and lubricants has fallen by 30%, which was largely facilitated by the abolition of coupons for vehicle owners for free 120 liters of fuel. In addition, in the country richest in “blue fuel”, most of the population buys imported gas in cylinders, and when they can’t afford it, the stoves are heated with dung.
Currently, the unemployment rate in Turkmenistan reaches 40% of the working population. According to preliminary data, more than 1 million people are working. There are more than 300 thousand citizens of Turkmenistan in Turkey alone, the annual departure of which is 6 thousand people, most of whom are residents of Lebap and Dashoguz velayats. The reason for the popularity of the Turkish labor market among Turkmen citizens is the visa-free regime between the two countries, as well as the similarity of the language.
For a quarter of a century, the Turkmen authorities lived on the principle of consumption, as a result, while receiving profits from the sale of gas, they did not even think about using at least part of it to support and develop other sectors of the economy. As a result, the entire national economic complex of the country has collapsed, and the Turkmens are completely dependent on imports.
Many experts also see the reason for the decline of the country's economy in corruption, which permeated almost the entire top echelon of power. Lower-ranking officials also follow their example. Opening your own business, enrolling your child in school, getting a passport, driver’s license, getting a job in a government agency or enrolling in a university - you have to pay for all this in Turkmenistan.
The Heritage Foundation, a research center, has produced its annual Index of Economic Freedom. The ranking examined the economies of 178 countries. Turkmenistan worsened its position compared to last year, ranking 172nd, and was classified as a repressive economy. The report notes that officials often obtain their positions through large bribes. Incompetence officials, nepotism and low level Citizens’ participation in control over government bodies has become commonplace in the republic. The laws are very poorly developed, and judges do not have sufficient qualifications. To obtain any significant contracts, it is often necessary to be personally acquainted with one of the high-ranking officials.
One can recall the scandal surrounding the Daimler concern, when the Germans were caught violating the norms of “fair” trade, for which they were forced to pay a fine of $185 million. There is also a Turkmen trace in this story. To enter the local market in 2000, the Germans “donated” it to the first person of the state. armored car worth 300,000 euros.
Due to the greed of officials, the social sphere especially suffers. Despite the provision on medical insurance for citizens, patients actually pay more, since Turkmen hospitals have developed a system of bribes with fixed prices and medical care is simply not provided without appropriate prepayment. In addition, due to a shortage of essential drugs in hospitals, patients are forced to purchase medications themselves. Most of medical centers concentrated in Ashgabat and others major cities, and in rural areas there are mobile clinics and health posts with limited resources. Despite the construction in last years new and modernization of old hospitals, more than 60% of the medical staff in them are low-qualified specialists. Moreover, access to these modern institutions has that small number of people who have the necessary connections.
Due to bias and clannish personnel policy in the Turkmen Ministry of Health, where all more or less senior positions are occupied by brothers, sisters and other relatives of higher officials, who often have nothing to do with medicine.
At the same time, the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the country is becoming more complicated. Today, the main factor in the spread of infectious diseases remains the shortage of clean water. Moreover, about 85% of the population of Turkmenistan uses water from untreated sources for food. This is aggravated by the decline in the standard of living of the population, especially in villages where the population does not comply with basic sanitation and hygiene standards. For example, in Dashoguz and Lebap velayats, children carrying tubercle bacillus and hepatitis C virus were identified in kindergartens, and children with dysentery, typhoid fever and salmonellosis have become commonplace. Moreover, due to the lack of qualified doctors only for Lately 12 children died from these diseases. According to international experts, low qualifications of doctors cause 10% of child deaths.
This is the reality in Turkmenistan.
At the same time, from the speeches of Ogulgozel Rejepova, everything is calm and stable in Turkmenistan. And it doesn’t matter that food prices have jumped several times, and unemployment is growing in the country, that again people are dying from such social diseases as tuberculosis, hepatitis, anemia and the level of education and culture of the population is sharply falling... All this is virtual for the authorities and is happening in some other person invented by the enemies of Turkmenistan.
How and what does Turkmenistan live today? We know roughly what is happening in other post-Soviet republics: in some places they live well, in others they live worse, in others local politics make an outside observer laugh outright. But we know practically nothing about Turkmenistan - it is one of the most closed countries in the world. It is difficult for a foreigner to get there, and it is extremely difficult for a resident of the country to leave. This secrecy exists for a reason: bits of information about modern Turkmenistan show that the country is like a real concentration camp, the rules of which will definitely not allow even a faint smile.
Citizens of Turkmenistan are constantly told that they live in the best and beautiful country in a world where science and culture flourish. Of course, thanks to the wisdom of the great leader, like the Sun warming the Turkmens with its warmth. This specific system was invented by the first president of independent Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov: the usual Soviet time a party functionary after the collapse of the USSR proclaimed himself Turkmenbashi (father of the Turkmens) and turned daily life people into total absurdity.
Global Look Press/Arco Images GmbH/Therin-Weise
Niyazov banned opera, ballet and circus. He motivated his decision by the fact that once in Leningrad, while studying at a party school, he went to the opera “Prince Igor”, but did not understand anything. He allowed only traditional Turkmen music to be performed and listened to. School education was reduced to nine years, and higher education to two, physical education was removed from the program, the Academy of Sciences was considered unnecessary and was abolished. Science and culture were replaced by the study of Niyazov's book - "Rukhnama" ("Book of the Spirit"). From it, people learned “new” truths: that elders must be respected, theft is bad, and family is good.
People were strictly regulated what clothes and hairstyles to wear, what to sing and what to think. They began to live according to the calendar, which Niyazov also invented. Gilded statues of Turkmenbashi appeared in cities and villages. Niyazov achieved the greatest changes in social sphere. He canceled pensions, took away benefits from disabled people and advised them to move to nursing homes so that they wouldn’t “spoil” the streets with their appearance.
Global Look Press/imagebroker.com/Michael Runkel
Any criticism of the regime was severely punished. For example, if in a book by a local writer there was a story about how acquaintances talk for a long time about family matters at a bus stop, the book was recognized as anti-state - according to Niyazov’s decree, a bus should run every three minutes. Those who tried to openly criticize the authorities were instantly sent to prison. With the help of psychotropic substances and intimidation, people were forced to admit guilt on camera.
Niyazov was recognized as a beacon of wisdom, an ever-living father of the nation. And then, at the end of December 2006, Turkmen television announcers, almost without emotion, informed citizens that the great leader had unexpectedly died. According to Muslim customs, the “eternally alive” was buried before sunset. No autopsy was performed, and no one found out why their beloved leader, who filled the entire space around him, died.
kremlin.ru
However, the Sun did not fade over Turkmenistan - it came new manager Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. He canceled some of Niyazov's decisions, but in general everything remained the same. Countless portraits of the president, ridiculous prohibitions and regulations, round-the-clock brain-corroding propaganda. In addition, Berdymukhamedov turned out to be a more prolific author of graphomaniac books. To date, almost 40 books authored by the president have been published. A huge staff of translators is hard at work on publications in various languages of the world. Local TV Almost every day it pleases viewers with news about the translation of a book into some language or about the presentation of a new creation by a leader. Such news should create the illusion among Turkmens that cultural life the country is saturated.
Thanks to Berdimuhamedov, science is also developing at an extraordinary pace in the country. Recently, all publications in Turkmenistan reported that a new racing car. It was also built by the hands of the President. Footage of Berdymukhamedov thoughtfully making changes to the design of a car and inventing LED headlights on the roof of an SUV brings a smile, but for the Turkmens these are serious things.
People would tolerate such eccentric sights if they had enough bread. But here with him in Turkmenistan big problems: since the spring of this year, customers in stores are registered in special books and are not sold more than two loaves per person. The same situation applies to other products. The country is close to introducing food cards. Hungry fainting among students has been recorded more than once in universities.
According to the testimony of workers from other countries working in gas fields (there are almost no local workers capable of highly skilled work left), such poverty reigns in Turkmenistan that local women are ready to provide sexual services for the cost of a pack of cigarettes.
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Those who try to complain about the difficult situation of people are openly called “dependents” by the authorities. The latest official report of the Commissioner for Human Rights of Turkmenistan says that the authorities must educate citizens “who are unable to independently and actively resolve their economic issues, traditionally relying on state help.” Simply put, Turkmen watch little on TV about the technical genius of the president and are bad at memorizing his brilliant books, so they are not able to earn a living.
By the way, official statistics on unemployment in Turkmenistan are not published anywhere. According to some experts, it is above 60%, and there is simply nowhere for people to work. The state is trying to prevent its citizens from leaving to work abroad. They could at least support their relatives at home financially, but the leadership of Turkmenistan has a different logic: it would be better for the Turkmens to starve at home than to see the world and tell their loved ones about it. In recent years, it has been almost impossible to obtain an exit permit, as well as a foreign passport.
Global Look Press/Danita Delimont/Ellen Clark
Nevertheless, people are fleeing the country in droves. They prefer to live and work illegally as janitors in other countries rather than return home. According to some estimates, up to a million of Turkmenistan's five million citizens now live abroad.
How do people get around bans? Despite the harshness of the laws, the state machine of Turkmenistan is riddled with corruption. For a bribe, you can pay off the police and courts, enroll your child in college, extract benefits, or present a false certificate at the border.
Global Look Press
Until recently, many social problems in Turkmenistan, it was possible to smooth it out thanks to gas - the country ranks fourth in the world in terms of blue fuel reserves. Until the beginning of the 1910s, almost all Turkmen gas was purchased by Russia. But then Ashgabat raised such a price that it became unprofitable to buy it. Iran turned to Turkmenistan for gas. Ashgabat was delighted with this development of events, but it soon became clear that Tehran was ready to buy gas only on credit. Until now, Turkmenistan has supplied Iran with gas virtually free of charge.
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China came to the rescue of Turkmenistan, but it turned out to be difficult. The Chinese built a gas pipeline on their own, sent their workers to work on the wells and acquired some fields. As a result, China buys Turkmen gas from itself and pays Ashgabat only pitiful pennies. In 2015, the Turkmens tried to push out the Chinese, announcing the beginning of comprehensive military cooperation with the United States. Washington provided verbal support, but did not seriously get involved with the dictatorial regime and enter into a clinch with Beijing because of it.
The results of such a “wise” foreign and economic policy of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, as already mentioned, were well felt by the Turkmens. But the authorities in Turkmenistan are not capable of solving problems in principle. So, in the near future, Turkmens will face bread cards, mass repressions, and new bans. And of course, new books and inventions from the president against the backdrop of a weak army.
In Turkmenistan, the number of people wishing to move to permanent place residence abroad. Massive, all new ones force not only representatives of a non-titular nation, but also ethnic Turkmens to pack their bags. The latter leave their homes, as they say, “until better times,” with the hope of returning to another Turkmenistan. The main direction is Russia, but the geography of the countries includes Turkey and. At the last stage, immigrants from Turkmenistan have settled with entire families, parents work, and children visit local schools. ANT correspondent Azat Khatamov talked to people planning to leave the country and who have already moved to a new homeland.
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, 8 a.m. In front of the representative office of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Turkmenistan, not far from the first park, a queue of about three dozen people had already formed. They say that closer to the opening [at 09:30], there will be three times more people here. This department is responsible for accepting certificates and applications for obtaining migrant status. In the afternoon, citizens who submitted documents several months ago receive completed papers. The queue is mostly people of Slavic appearance, but there are also Turkmens. They are not particularly willing to talk about themselves and the reasons for leaving: “Oh, yes, we are preparing documents,” “Oh, we’ll see.”
“Take a tree that has been growing for years in one soil, its roots clinging to these sands, and transplant it into another soil, do you think it will take root easily? Of course, it’s difficult for us, of course, we are worried that we are leaving here, we are thinking whether we will be accepted in a new place, whether the new environment will accept us,” says a resident of the capital, who introduced herself Tamara.
According to her, there were always thoughts about moving: both when the country had just become independent, and at the turn of the new millennium, when Turkmenistan introduced a visa regime with the CIS countries. By this time, all paperwork had been translated into the Turkmen language, and in 2002, the authorities introduced nine-year secondary education in Russian schools (it had already existed in Turkmen schools for several years by that time).
“Yes, times were difficult, there were years of famine, but both my husband and I had Good work, respect among colleagues. We didn’t live richly, but we always had enough for the basic necessities. Once every two years they saved up money for a trip to visit relatives in Russia. It was unusual to fly on a visa; after all, we lived in the same country for 70 years, especially since our family is Russian. It’s like entering your father’s house, having first asked your father’s permission to cross the threshold. But then we got used to it,” says Tamara, adding that many of her friends left Turkmenistan precisely for this reason.
IN multi-storey building where she lives, almost all the neighbors have been updated since 1994. There are no Russians left at all - everyone has moved, and Turkmen families have either moved to own houses to the suburbs, or also left. Their apartments are occupied by countries, bought at low prices or rent.
"Impoverished Turkmens"
She said that the first years of the presidency Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov We didn’t think about moving because it was the period of retirement. Considering the work experience of herself and her husband, it turned out to be “decent.” Besides new person at the helm of the state promised changes in the lives of the people. But instead of changes, new disappointments awaited people. The nuts began to be tightened tighter and tighter, it became more and more. For Tamara and her husband, the straw that overflowed their cup of patience was where the couple had a good-quality country house, where they turned a piece of desert into a real garden, kept chickens and rabbits.
“At the end of 2014 we were told that crime was growing there and that many illegal immigrants were living there. At first we didn’t believe it: would they really demolish what people had been developing for years and putting effort into this land. And in the spring next year The bulldozers rolled in and off we went. Without understanding who lived or on what basis they lived, the workers began to demolish all the houses, one by one. We complained, fought,... Residents were sent to the city, explain, they say, everything is in the khyakimlik, and we, they say, are only executors. People were traveling, and when they returned to the village, “says Tamara.
None of the owners were compensated for anything. Some were offered land right in the desert, but to grow anything there requires “decades of hellish labor.” Tamara's family refused the offer. In May they returned to their apartment, concrete walls, but they could no longer live there. Due to the stress they experienced, both her and her husband’s health suffered greatly. After all this, my son called me to his place in the Krasnodar region. The decision was made almost immediately, but then a problem arose with the sale of the apartment.
“Many people mistakenly think that real estate prices in Turkmenistan have fallen due to the law introduced in 2016, but this is not entirely true - apartments were sold for foreign currency and are still being sold to this day. The reason lies elsewhere, in the massive outflow of the population in recent years. People have nothing to feed their families, and there are no prospects for improving the situation. People go into business, construction, trade, but even there they are strangled from all sides, for contracts, they are not given, they find far-fetched violations and rob people completely. Add to this all the latter, which even the Turkmen who are accustomed to everything. People are leaving en masse for Turkey, Cyprus and Russia. Therefore, there was an oversupply in the real estate market, and against the backdrop of impoverishment of the population, apartment prices collapsed,” says Tamara.
The family still found a client for the apartment, although the amount offered was two times lower than what it was three years earlier. The deal has already been finalized, but new owner allowed the family to live in the apartment until departure. This, according to Tamara, will happen soon.
“In our declining years we will build new life close to their children and grandchildren,” she concludes. - Of course, from former colleagues, friends and neighbors, in different years who left the country, we know that changes in climate and environment do not affect older people in the best possible way. Many of our peers and older people did not live long in the new place, leaving for another world due to sudden onset of illness and melancholy. We, of course, look to the future with hope and optimism and count on the children’s support. There is no way to continue living in my native Turkmenistan under the current regime.”
...Meanwhile, after lunch it turned out that the issuance of ready-made permits was temporarily suspended - the representative office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation had run out of forms. It is unknown when new ones will be printed, they said that it is better to call before coming. People began to disperse.
To be continued
P.S. The editors of ANT tried to contact the representative office to get some figures regarding the number of people applying for resettled status, but written requests dated February 12 and 16 remained unanswered. By phone on February 16, the department referred to the unavailability of management in this moment answer questions due to busyness, perhaps they will talk to us in the near future.
Turkmenistan is a country that, in the 90s of the 20th century, after the collapse of the Union, went through quite hard way. First there was destruction, then a period of gradual formation began. Turkmenistan, whose standard of living still required improvement, began to develop confidently. The people played an important role in this process. One of the first republics to adopt the Declaration of Sovereignty. In 1995, this state became neutral.
Complex process of formation
The first decade of Turkmenistan’s independent existence passed in complex processes of destruction of the structure that existed before this period.
All of these negative phenomena were accompanied by a lack of economic development accompanied by the theft of industrial enterprises, defense facilities and the energy complex. Life in Turkmenistan during this period was further complicated by the redistribution of power and property, accompanied by bloody and fratricidal events.
Factors that contributed to economic development
Turkmenistan, whose standard of living has risen significantly thanks to the perseverance and hard work of the people, was able to stop the destructive processes in the economy.
Turkmenistan is a luxuriously God-given place. Its main features are a sunny and warm climate, gas and oil deposits. The country is characterized by a closed type of economy, which is expressed in the fact that they are attracted only to complex deposits. It should be noted that Turkmenistan is a geographically closed space, has no access to the sea, and is also surrounded by states in which the political situation often makes it difficult to expand gas pipelines. And, of course, talented people, Eastern conservative in political aspect, but appreciative of what he has.
These factors contributed to the economic recovery of the country, namely:
- the modern agricultural sector can annually produce about two million tons of wheat and the same amount of cotton;
- equipping the processing industry with new plants for processing raw cotton or sugar beets;
- new factories for denim and cotton fabrics appeared in light industry;
- Turkmen oil is now used to produce lubricating oils and high-octane gasoline;
- Thanks to the annual supply of natural gas and oil by the mining industry, Turkmenistan's need for energy materials is fully covered.
Turkmenistan through the eyes of a foreigner
A person who has been absent from the country for some time is amazed by almost everything in Turkmenistan. Thus, the landscape, architecture and infrastructure of both the country as a whole and its individual cities are being transformed at tremendous speed. There is a fabulous speed in the construction of new high-rise buildings, swimming pools, hospitals, highways, concert halls, tennis courts, business centers, hotels, stadiums, as well as the beautiful Ashgabat airport made of marble and glass.
Economy of Turkmenistan
Modern Turkmenistan, whose standard of living has significantly improved, is characterized by political calm and stability.
The high pace of economic development contributes to the creation of a warm investment climate. As a result, investments in the development of Turkmenistan by global construction companies.
The economy of Turkmenistan is developing successfully thanks to significant investments by foreign investors in the energy and mining industries.
In a fairly short period of time, this country has transformed from a raw material base into a developing one. at a fast pace state. The modern economy of Turkmenistan confirms its independence. amazes with its calmness on the streets and beneficial external changes.
Today Turkmenistan (the standard of living of the people) ranks first among the CIS. The population has the opportunity to use natural resources free of charge: salt, gas, water and electricity. Air communication between the cities of Turkmenistan is sufficiently developed.
Main macroeconomic indicators
The International Monetary Fund forecasts a decline in GDP growth to 9% in 2015 ( this information posted on the official website of the IMF).
As indicated in this press release, 2014 for Turkmenistan was marked by a GDP growth of 10.3%. At the same time, the state’s economy remained quite resilient to various shocks in the regional market. Such life in Turkmenistan became possible thanks to the active export of hydrocarbon resources and government investment.
The expected decline in GDP this year, according to the IMF, will be due to a decrease in the level of revenues from natural gas exports, as well as a decrease in public investment in relation to GDP.
Despite last decline course national currency, the expected inflation at the end of the year will be about 6.5% (the average in Turkmenistan is 7.5%). This situation will become possible due to a subsequent fall in food prices in the world and an increase in the dollar exchange rate.
Life in Turkmenistan for other nationalities
The 2003 census showed that Turkmens make up only 85% of the total population of the state, the remaining 15% are representatives of other nationalities.
Let's take a closer look at the life of Russians in Turkmenistan. So, in the same 2003, an agreement was signed between Moscow and Ashgabat, according to which Gazprom began to purchase from Turkmenneftegaz natural gas until 2028. However, this same year is significant for Turkmenistan with the termination of the 1993 Agreement, according to which this state unilaterally ceased the opportunity to have double citizenship. Despite this fact, the Russian embassy still issued Russian passports even after 2003, explaining this by the lack of ratification of this protocol by the Russian parliament.
In 2013, the situation worsened somewhat, since under the pretext of changing their old-style international passports to a new one, the Turkmen authorities asked the “doubles” to renounce citizenship other than Turkmen. This problem has not been resolved to this day.
Standard of living in Turkmenistan today
Level modern life in the state under consideration has grown significantly in recent years, and this is confirmed by an analysis of this indicator using the example of the capital, Ashgabat.
So, the answer to the question “Is it easy to live in Turkmenistan?” serves as an increase in the number of foreign cars on the roads, as well as expensive mobile phones from residents.
For ordinary people Such arguments may seem a little naive. However, economists can say with confidence that an improvement in the well-being of the population of any state can only occur with GDP growth and an increase in per capita income. Wherein a common person only focuses on the prices of products that are on store shelves. Based on these components, we can say that the average standard of living of the population in Turkmenistan has become higher.
Development priorities
To further improve the standard of living in Turkmenistan, strong social guarantees must be provided for the population, which are the basis for development economic activity, as well as forms of ownership. The reform of the banking, credit and financial system of the state must continue, the maximum possible favorable conditions for the protection of the population.
First decade XXI century to ensure the socio-economic development of the country is due to the need to refine legislation, as well as to develop completely new approaches to regulating economic relations in the legal field. Therefore, legislative activity should be carried out in the following directions.
Improving the regulatory framework
This is the first direction that should strengthen and develop the market economy. One of the main directions for finalizing the economic block was the development of new legislation, which defines legal framework carrying out commercial (entrepreneurial) activities. This circumstance is the need for subsequent legal regulation of the processes of creation and operation of business entities. Enterprises occupy an important place among them.
Legislation of tax, monetary and budgetary spheres
This is the second direction of improvement legal framework. The modern legal framework is distinguished by a certain solidity, and also regulates relations in the financial system of the entire state. The main attention in this process should be paid to increasing the efficiency of the state budget as a macroeconomic mechanism for managing the entire economy of the country.
The success of fiscal policy directly depends on tax system states. Main principle legislative work - codification of the entire tax regulatory framework that Turkmenistan has today. Scientific life this can significantly improve the general state of legislation. Thus, based on a systematic study of various taxes and fees, as well as methods and forms of ensuring their payment to the budget, a one system formation, collection and approval of all mandatory payments.
Regulation of the activities of certain sectors of the economy
This area is the third in importance and should contribute to the legal regulation of activities that are carried out in some industries that occupy one of the key places throughout the entire economic structure of Turkmenistan.
Thanks to the socio-economic reforms and transformations carried out, intensive development will be achieved in such agro-industrial, fuel and energy and construction complexes. In this case, we cannot forget about the textile industry, construction industry, transport and communications.
Summarizing the material presented, it should be noted that Turkmenistan was able to overcome the difficulties that arose after the collapse of the Union, and not only overcome the crisis, but also take the path of economic development.
ex soviet republic, Turkmenistan has long been one of the most closed states in the world. Now the country, rich in gas and oil, is experiencing its worst economic crisis in the last 27 years. And if earlier many residents tried to go abroad to earn money, now the Turkmen authorities have banned all citizens under 40 from leaving the country.
Strict censorship and an authoritarian regime - the most closed country in Central Asia can surpass in many ways North Korea. The Turkmen leader, former dentist Gurbanguly Myalikkulievich Berdymukhammedov (pictured above) is famous for his unusual decrees. Thus, in Turkmenistan it was forbidden to paint cars in all colors except white, and then a ban appeared on women driving. In addition, Turkmen women are prohibited from dyeing their hair light shades and wear tight-fitting clothing.
And by 2017, the government of the country had to cancel all social benefits for the population: the utopian project of the “golden age” was closed, in which millions of citizens of the republic were practically living, did not pay utility bills and received free gasoline.
The “era of power and happiness” declared in the country turned into an economic crisis with queues at grocery stores and the flourishing of the underground currency market. In recent years, Turkmenistan has experienced a shortage of products and a sharp increase in fuel prices. In March 2017, government sources reported that the unemployment rate in the republic had almost reached 60 percent.
Turkmen border guards
Now the authorities of Turkmenistan have made it impossible to travel abroad most population: all citizens under 40 years of age are prohibited from leaving the country. In this way, the state is fighting to retain workers in the regions.
Ashgabat International Airport
The ban has not been officially announced. But according to Radio Azatlyk (the local service of Radio Liberty), the country’s migration services refuse to issue Required documents, explaining this by some “order from above” on a travel ban for persons under 40 years of age. And this despite the fact that in recent years, migration has become widespread: people leave to work (mainly to Turkey) and after a few years take their families with them.
According to the Turkish Migration Service, in 2016-2017 alone, about 25 thousand Turkmen migrants were officially registered in this country. According to some sources, at least 200 thousand citizens of Turkmenistan lived in Turkey, most of them illegally.
The mass exodus of people affects not only the labor market, but also the security of the country. At the same time, Turkmenistan has a long and poorly guarded border with Afghanistan and is the first on the route of Afghan drug trafficking. The outflow of the population has led to the fact that over the past two years, high school students began to be drafted into the army, preventing them from graduating from the 11th grade.
Turkmen authorities hide data on the country's population: the last census was conducted here in 2012, but its results were never published. According to various resources, about 6 million people now live in Turkmenistan, while only a third of the population are people over 40.
