Fact Sheet on Turkmenistan

Country and Capital

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

Area; arable land

488,100 Sq Km ( Mostly sandy desert); 9 million hectares

Important cities

Ashgabat, Turkmenabat, Balkanabat, Mary, Dashoguz and Turkmenbashy  (port city)

Population(July 2008)

5,179,571 ; Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%; Russian 4%; others 6%

Land boundaries  (Kms)

Afghanistan 744, Iran 992, Uzbekistan 1621, Kazakhstan 379

Language

Turkmen and Russian

Religion

Mainly Sunni Muslims ( 89%); No official religion

Day of Independence

27 October 1991

Day of Neutrality

12 December 1995

Constitution

New Constitution adopted on 26 September 2008

Head of State & Head of Govt.

H.E. Mr. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov

Legislature and Suffrage

Unicameral Parliament (Mejlis) with 125 members ; 18 years

Last elections

14 December 2008

Political parties

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan ( opposition parties non existent)

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court

Foreign Minister

Mr. Rashid Meredov. ( He is also Dy Chairman of Cabinet of Ministers)

Currency

Manat ( US $ 1=14250 old manats/2.85 new manats)

Natural resources

Gas, oil, iodine, sulfur, salt   

GDP per capita  (2007)

US$ 5300 on purchasing power parity basis(CIA World fact book)

GDP growth rate (2007)

11.5% (IMF estimate)

Global Trade in 2008

US$ 17.6 billion; Exports US$ 11.9 bln. Imports US$ 5.7 bln. 

Major exports: Natural Gas, Oil by-products, Oil, Textile products, Cotton fibre, Liquefied gas, Polypropylene, Electricity.

Major imports: Technological and mechanical equipment, Consumable items (Non-food), Transport, Food consumable items.

Major countries-Exports: Russia, Iran, Italy and Turkey

Major countries-Imports: Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, UAE, China

Relations with India

Friendly and supportive with ancient ties

Indian line of credit

US$ 6.77 mln

ITEC training in India

246 nationals trained in different courses since 1994

Trade with India in 2007-08(Acc to Ministry of Commerce, India)

Total trade US$ 45.05 mln; Exports from India   US$; 36.39 mln ; Imports by India US$ 8.66 mln

Imports from India

electronic and electrical items, machinery, woven apparel and pharmaceuticals  

Exports to  India

raw cotton and inorganic chemicals

Major visits  from India

PM P.V. Narasimha Rao, 19-21 Sept 1995; EAM Jaswant Singh-May 1999; VP, B.S. Shekhawat ( Technical halt) -1 Oct 2005; MOS(PNG), Dinsha Patel 13-15 Feb 2006; MOS(EA), E.Ahamed- 1-4 Oct 2006 & 14 Feb 2007; Min of Water Resources, Saifuddin Soz, 23-25 Dec 2006; MoPNG, Murli Deora (technical halt) 25 Nov 2007 & 4 Nov 2008 ;VP,Hamid Ansari, 4-6 April 2008

Major visits to India

President Niyazov, 18-20 April 1992 & 25-26 Feb 1997; Foreign Minister, 18-20 April 1995 & 10-14 July 1996, 2-4 Dec 1997 and in April 2000.DPM  & Foreign Minister on 20-22 Jan 2008

Foreign Policy Orientation

Positive Neutrality, constructive engagement with all countries

Multilateral membership

UN and agencies, CIS(Associate  member), ECO, OIC, NATO-PFP, OSCE, NAM, IMF.

Joint Commission

Agreement signed on Dec’95; 1st meeting held on 1-4 Oct 2006,2nd meeting on 21-22 January 2008

Important dates

India recognised Turkmenistan on December 26,1991; Established embassy in Ashgabat on 30.1.94