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EMBASSY/CONSULATE ADDRESSES

Diplomatic Representation in US:
Ambassador: Meret Bayramovich ORAZOV
Embassy: 2207 Massachusettes Ave., NW Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500
Fax: [1] (202) 588-0697


US Diplomatic Representation:
Ambassador: Vacant
Embassy: 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan;
Mailing Address: use embassy street address
Telephone: [993](12)35-00-45 Tie Line [8] 962-0000
Fax: [993](12)45-47-62.

The Embassy of Turkmensitan Web Site in Washington DC

U.S Embassy Web Site in Turkmenistan


FOREIGN RELATIONS

Turkmenistan's declaration of "permanent neutrality" was formally recognized by the United Nations in 1995. Although the Government of Turkmenistan has favored high-profile purchases from the United States like Boeing aircraft, it has significant commercial relationships with Turkey, Russia, and Iran, and increasingly with China. The government worked closely with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan until September 11, 2001, and until that time had a growing cross-border trade with the regime in Afghanistan.

The five states of Central Asia wrestle with sharing limited water resources and environmental degradation caused by the shrinking of the Aral Sea. Multilaterally accepted Caspian Sea seabed and maritime boundaries have not yet been established. Up to now, Iran has insisted on dividing the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia have generally agreed upon equidistant seabed boundaries. Turkmenistan is negotiating bilateral delimitation with Azerbaijan.

U.S.-TURKMENISTAN RELATIONS
Currently the Government of Turkmenistan engages with the United States in many areas, including cooperation in border and regional security programs, educational exchanges, English language training, and a long-standing Peace Corps presence. Despite the country's authoritarian political system, the government has taken some steps forward in human rights reform, such as lifting the exit visa requirement and allowing the registration of some religious minority groups. Its overall human rights record, however, remains poor. Diplomatic missions from various countries and international organizations have joined together to persuade the Government of Turkmenistan to improve its human rights practices, but their efforts have not yet led to significant improvements overall.

For several years in the 1990s, Turkmenistan was a key player in the U.S. Caspian Basin Energy Initiative, which sought to facilitate negotiations between commercial partners and the Governments of Turkmenistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey to build a pipeline under the Caspian Sea and export Turkmen gas to the Turkish domestic energy market and beyond--the so-called Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline (TCGP). However, the Government of Turkmenistan essentially removed itself from the negotiations in 2000 by refusing all offers by its commercial partners and requiring billion-dollar "pre-financing." Following a tripartite summit with the presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan in May 2007 in which gas was a major topic, however, President Berdimuhamedov again resurrected the idea of a Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, explicitly refusing to rule out the possibility of constructing such a pipeline in the future.

[Fact sheet on FY 2008 U.S. Assistance to Turkmenistan.]

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--vacant
Charge d' Affaires--Eileen Malloy
Political-Economic Officer--Peter Eckstrom
Public Affairs Officer--William Stevens
Defense Attache--LTC Jeffrey Jennette
Consul of the United States of America--Joseph Chamberlain
Management Officer--James Leaf
USAID Director--vacant
Peace Corps Director--Earl Wall

The U.S. Embassy is located at 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; tel: [993](12)35-00-45; fax: [993](12)51-13-05.
USAID is located at 1, Yunus Emre Str., International Business Center, 744017, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, tel: [993](12)45-61-30 ; fax: [993](12)45-47-62.


TRAVEL ADVISORIES

To obtain the latest Travel Advisory Information for Turkmenistan check the U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet.


TRAVEL TIPS

Driving TBA
Currency (TMM) Turkmen Manat
Electrical 220 Volts
Telephones Country Code 993, City Code, Ashgabat 12+6D, Annan 137+5D, Serdarabad 222+5D



The Washington D.C. embassy has put togther a page and links of useful information for travel in Turkmenistan.


CUSTOMS/DUTIES

Tobacco.........200 cigarettes or 200g of tobacco

Liquor............1.5 litres of spirits and 2 litres of wine

Perfume.........Reasonable for personal use

Cameras........No restrictions

Film...............Reasonalbe for personal use

Gifts...............Reasonable quantity

Other.............Personal belongings up to a value of TMM500

Currency.......No restrictions

Note: On entering the country, tourists must complete a customs declaration form which must be retained until departure. This allows the import of articles intended for personal use, including currency and valuables which must be registered on the declaration form. Customs inspection can be long and detailed. It is advisable when shopping to ask for a certificate from the shop which states that goods have been paid for in hard currency. Presentation of such certificates should speed up customs formalities.

Prohibited Imports: Military weapons and ammunition, narcotics, pornography, loose pearls and anything owned by a third party that is to be carried in for that third party.
Prohibited Exports: As prohibited imports, as well as lottery tickets, electrical appliances, photographic equipment, carpets, works of art and antiques (unless permission has been granted by the Ministry of Culture) and furs.



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