President Saparmurat Niyazov

The reclusive Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan has denied entry to dozens of Peace Corps volunteers, the organization's country director said Friday. The decision to bar 47 volunteers from the U.S. government-run program from the former Soviet state comes amid fears energy-rich Turkmenistan is reneging on commitments to open up after years of isolation under an eccentric autocrat. "We had the paperwork in place, and they were approved to come, but the day before they were due to leave the U.S., we received a diplomatic note from the embassy saying that they would be invited next year, but not for this year," Leal said ... Read Full Story

Ex-Soviet Turkmenistan has barred an incoming group of aid workers from the Peace Corps, a US government programme for aid volunteers, from entering the country, an agency official said Friday. The Peace Corps, which has operated in Turkmenistan since 1993, was given no explanation for the last-minute decision to cancel the visas of 47 volunteers, acting country director Chris Leal told AFP by telephone from Ashgabat. "They were scheduled to come in on September 30, and we received notice about 24 hours before they left Philadelphia that they would not have sites available for them when they arrived in Turkmenistan," Leal said. "We had ... Read Full Story

The United States expressed its concern Monday over efforts by Turkmenistan to prevent students from traveling to U.S.-linked universities. A terse statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan said students studying at American-affiliated universities in Bulgaria and Kyrgyzstan were denied permission to leave the country last week. "We are dismayed by the government of Turkmenistan's continued denial of freedom of movement for ... Turkmen students," the statement said. The former Soviet nation has been barring students studying at the American University of Central Asia, in Kyrgyzstan, from leaving the country since July, prompting many to seek a transfer to the university's Bulgarian branch. ... Read Full Story

The president of resources-rich Turkmenistan has sacked several top officials in the energy sector, denouncing their "irresponsible approach" to their jobs, the official news agency reported. At a meeting with the central Asian republic's heads of oil and gas companies, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov "noted with regret that an irresponsible approach by certain leaders to their jobs caused a number of deficiencies and negligences" in their work, the agency said Monday. Berdymukhamedov dismissed the head of public company Turkmenneftegazstroy along with the chiefs of the country's state gas and oil enterprises, Turkmenneft and Turkmengaz. The president criticised the "poor construction quality" of Turkmenistan's energy installations, ... Read Full Story

ASHGABAT (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a proponent of a global gas suppliers' cartel, will visit Central Asia's main gas producer Turkmenistan on Sunday and Monday, Turkmen leader Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said on Saturday. The meeting of the two leaders will be "a good foundation for further development of mutually beneficial long-term cooperation," Berdymukhamedov said on state television. He did not outline the agenda of the meeting but a Turkmen government source told Reuters he expected energy cooperation issues to come up. Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic, is seeking to diversify gas exports after Russia halted imports in April in the midst of a ... Read Full Story