Turkmen President Gurbanguly. President's family: Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov

The logic of decisions made by the country's leadership, and in some states the political system, is largely determined by the personality of the chief leader. the site continues to talk about the biographies, families and hobbies of the leaders of the post-Soviet republics. Previous articles were devoted to the chapters of Uzbekistan. Today the material is about the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich Berdimuhamedov.

son of a communist

The future holder of the title Arkadag (“patron”) was born in 1957 in the village of Babarap, fifty kilometers from Ashgabat, into an intelligent family of school teachers. The leader of Turkmenistan is proud of his parents, he periodically appears with them at public events. In honor of the grandfather and father of Arkadag, military units, streets and squares are called in Turkmenistan, their detailed biographies were published several years ago. From the books you can learn that the president's grandfather Berdimuhamed Annaev was a village teacher and director of the school, during the Great Patriotic War he fought with the rank of corporal, and was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor for his labor activity. The president's father, Myalikguly Berdimuhamedov, is a historian by education, worked at a school, then made a career as a correctional worker, rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the internal service, and worked in the apparatus of the Ministry of Fruit and Vegetable Economy of the Turkmen SSR. The book "The Faithful Son of the Motherland" specifically notes that the president's father was a candidate member of the CPSU, in the party committee of the Ministry he was a member of the commission for the preparation of holidays, participated in various party and Komsomol meetings.

After graduation, the future leader decided to devote himself to healing people. At the age of 23, he graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry of the Turkmen State Medical Institute and began working as a dentist in rural and urban clinics. In 1987, he went to Moscow for postgraduate studies, and three years later he defended his Ph.D. Returning home, the future leader of the republic continued to treat patients' teeth, deepened his knowledge at the same time and gradually became an assistant professor, and then the dean of the Faculty of Dentistry. In 2007, when he had already taken the presidency, it was announced that Berdymukhammedov had been awarded the degree of doctor of science in medicine.

At 40, he was appointed Minister of Health. This fact, as well as the fact that in the future he did not fall under numerous purges in the government, gave rise to various gossip. Allegedly, the rapid rise was facilitated by the fact that Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov is actually the illegitimate son of the former president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov. Moreover, the external resemblance of the former and current leaders is striking. If we hypothetically imagine such a version to be true, it turns out that the current leader was born when Niyazov was only 17 years old.

kremlin.ru

Family

The president has many relatives, but very little is known about what they do. Some information can be gleaned from a memo from employees of the US Embassy in Ashgabat to employees of the State Department in Washington, which was published by the Wikileaks portal. It follows from the document that the Turkmen leader has two daughters and a son, Serdar. The eldest daughter Guljakhon lives in London and is married to Ilasgeldy Amanov, a representative of the Turkmen State Agency for the Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources in the UK. The younger Gulshan lives in Paris and is married to an employee of the Turkmen embassy in France, Derya Atabaev, the couple has a villa on the Cote d'Azur. American diplomats also wrote that, according to rumors, Berdymukhammedov has an unofficial Russian wife named Marina, who used to work as a nurse in the same dental clinic where the head of state worked. Marina, like her 22-year-old daughter common with the president, according to the American embassy, ​​lived in London at the time the note was written in 2010.

More information about son Serdar, born in 1981. In 2001, he received an engineering degree from the Turkmen Agricultural University and since then has managed to become a doctor of science, a member of parliament, a lieutenant colonel, an honored coach of the country, and in March 2018 he was appointed deputy minister of foreign affairs. Serdar has a wife, three daughters and a son.

Gurbanguly was the only son of his parents, but he has five sisters. Some of them hold responsible positions, for example, Gulnabat heads the national organization of the Red Crescent.

Recently, his grandson Kerimguly, the son of his eldest daughter Guljahon, often appeared in public with the president. In the summer, Turkmen television showed how the head of state, together with his grandson, perform a rap of their own composition.

The only thing known about the president's wife is that her name is Ogulgerek, and she is the same age as her husband. Sometimes Berdimuhamedov appears in public with his wife, but very rarely, she does not give interviews. Arkadag does not like to let others into his family life. But he himself has recently been present in almost every wedding photo in the country: since 2013, all newlyweds have been obliged to take a picture at the registry office against the backdrop of a portrait of the president

Handyman

The President of Turkmenistan has a wide variety of interests. In the list of hobbies and sports, which he has been involved in since childhood. At the age of 15, the future leader of the nation became the champion of Ashgabat in freestyle wrestling, and a year later - the champion of the republic in shooting. Now he has many sports titles in various international sports associations and federations, personally participates in horse racing and car racing, and watches football competitions with interest.

Another area of ​​hobbies is music. The head of state plays the guitar, accordion, keyboards and drums, he composes songs in various genres, from pop and pop to rap. He also loves to sing, both songs of his own composition and those of other authors. This year, the president congratulated the women of the republic on March 8 by singing Igor Sarukhanov's song "Kara-Kum".

Berdimuhamedov also loves to invent and assemble technology. Recently, state television showed how the president personally designed and then built a racing car from his drawings.

But the biggest hobby of the leader of Turkmenistan is writing books, which are translated into many languages ​​of the world by a special staff of translators in the country. Berdimuhamedov wrote volumes on the importance of sports, the need to get an education, the benefits of drinking tea, the beauty of music and nature, the importance of water for the national economy, breeding horses, and spiritual self-improvement. The encyclopedic collection in 9 volumes "Medicinal herbs of Turkmenistan" is recommended for use by all medical institutions of the republic. His last opus, published in 2018, is called "The Teaching of Arkadag - the basis of health and inspiration."

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On the afternoon of July 21, information about the death of the second president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Myalikguliyevich Berdimuhamedov, began to actively spread in the Russian-language media and telegram channels. The reference in all the media was to a single political scientist who had not previously dealt with Turkmenistan at all, but many believed immediately and immediately began to build versions: Berdimuhamedov could not die from “kidney failure”, there is poisoning. The previous president, Saparmurat Niyazov, also died suddenly, which means that we see a format of transfer of power taking root in a super-closed country.

Then the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Russia issued an official denial (although, given the regime they represent, one can trust them with the same skepticism as this political scientist), and the main source of information issued an official apology. Berdimuhamedov, according to journalists more or less aware of the situation, is in Germany, since his mother is in a clinic there in a serious condition.

The health of Arkadag himself (this is his official status of president, “patron” is translated, so as not to be confused with the “father of all Turkmens” Turkmenbashi) is also naughty: they say he recently had a kidney transplant. But still, such a simple, trivial death at the age of 61 is not at all what fits in with the image that official Turkmen propaganda paints for Berdimuhamedov.

And this image is massive. Berdimuhamedov is a writer, singer, equestrian, pistol shooter in a sitting position on a bicycle, racer, weightlifter, author of the Asian Games anthem, patron of kittens and, in general, a Turkmenator.

In a country where before that a man ruled for many years, replacing the names of the months with the names of relatives, it is difficult to surpass the level of the cult of personality, but Niyazov's personal dentist Berdimuhamedov tried very hard. All this looks comical - but this is from Moscow or even from Minsk, and in Turkmenistan, where people see nothing and no one else in the media, many people seriously think that this is how everything works. Superman President: In between writing books about the healing power of tea and horses, he saves his native country from outside enemies. Turkmenistan, by the way, is officially neutral - like Switzerland.

But Ashgabat is, of course, not Bern, but our Pyongyang: there is even a joke that the most terrible criminals in North Korea will face a terrible punishment - exile in Turkmenistan. This is perhaps an exaggeration, but not a very strong one: at least they are trying to have a dialogue with North Korea, while Turkmenistan seems to exist on a separate planet. They don’t burn officials with flamethrowers (but this is inaccurate), but there is simply no way out of this constant Looking Glass, where it is customary to kiss his own book presented by the president, because it is higher than the Koran or bread.

Dmitry Medvedev and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in Ashgabat. Photo: Ekaterina Shtukina / press service of the government of the Russian Federation / TASS

A country of chic and obligatory white buildings (Berdymukhammedov really dislikes black) and at the same time an acute shortage of food, medicines, and even forms for these medicines.

A showcase that is a distorted mirror in every sense: both a personal show by Gurbanguly Vaganovich Petrosyan, and a lens for a distorted perception of the reality of all more than five million people inside. Day after day, a simple resident of some Kunya-Urgench is immersed in this total lie, like in the quicksands of the Karakum, about which the Soviet hit Berdimuhamedov so fervently sang.

But life in this microcosm for Berdimuhamedov only seems to be going on in a “relaxation”. Palace intrigues in a country where everyone lies to everyone are heated to the limit, but you yourself never understand who to be afraid of and who to bring closer to yourself. Berdymukhammedov himself came to power this way: when Saparmurat Niyazov died, Arkadag took advantage of the general confusion and, with the participation of the special services, declared himself the heir to Turkmenistan, and then the same special services first of all cleared out. Now the situation is even worse: it is always more difficult to defend power than to win it. When health begins to fail, one must also transfer one's powers to someone. Transit of power, be it wrong.

Berdimuhamedov has a son, Serdar, who is clearly being considered as a successor: on television he is called the “son of the people”, and this year the 37-year-old colonel, an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a process engineer, a doctor of technical sciences and a chief specialist of the Office for the Beer, Non-Alcoholic and Wine Industry Association of the Food Industry of Turkmenistan also became the khakim (governor) of the most important Akhal velayat, that is, the Ashgabat region.

The son will certainly be on his side in the event of an attempted palace coup, but one cannot be sure of this either: at one time, Berdimuhamedov Sr. was called the illegitimate son of Niyazov (they are really very similar) and, they say, could help speed up the replacement of Turkmenbashi with his beloved . History tends to repeat itself, and in a country like Turkmenistan, you can never know exactly at what point the spiral will start a new turn.

This is the biggest pain of a president-dictator: no one can be trusted.

You and your family can't even get sick in your own country, because even with a discount on the lack of medicines, the road to the hospital can always be the way to the finish line

(And for some reason their own recipes for tea treatment do not help). People applaud your shooting from a rifle at targets falling before the shot, but behind your back they secretly hope that you will die quickly. Berdimuhamedov could already feel this in full measure when in 2013 he fell off his horse at full speed during the races, now he has to live these feelings again.

One can console oneself: although the next ruler of Turkmenistan will certainly have a hand in ensuring that Arkadag quickly leaves his post for eternity, it will be extremely difficult for him to find an area of ​​human existence in which Berdimuhamedov would no longer become a pioneer.

He is not an orphan

Serdar Berdimuhamedov (right)

However, this is only the beginning. In May 2017, Serdar Berdimuhamedov headed a delegation from Turkmenistan to Tatarstan, where he held talks with the head of the republic, Rustam Minnikhanov. A few more days later, he meets with the chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, Valentina Matvienko. Such meetings, as some believe, are not quite of his rank, after all, he is not the chairman of the Mejlis, but only the chairman of one of the committees. However, what is too much for a simple deputy is quite tough for the President's son.

The list of his achievements does not end there - as they say, a talented person is talented in everything. Having shown extraordinary abilities, first in science, then in diplomacy, Serdar turned his attention to sports. According to the TDH agency, during the “meeting in accordance with the Resolution of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, Serdar Gurbangulyevich Berdimuhamedov was awarded a certificate and a badge on conferring the honorary title “Türkmenistanyn at gazanan tälimçisi” (“Honored Coach of Turkmenistan”). Thus, his merits were noted for increasing the international prestige of Turkmenistan as a sports power and personal contribution to the training of athletes who won prizes in the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

The question of when such a busy person managed to train professional athletes is still open. It is only known that not all current coaches liked the assignment of such a high title to Serdar. However, most likely, envy speaks in them. Among them, there are certainly those who have devoted their entire lives to sports, training athletes, introducing children to physical education, and their merits have not yet been recognized by the state. The son of the president, thanks to his extraordinary abilities, achieves heights in everything that interests him.

Probably nothing else than envy explains the hostility towards Serdar and military personnel. They, obviously, always ask a banal question: “How did a yellow-mouthed chick, who did not serve in the troops a single day and did not sniff gunpowder, so quickly grow up first to a major, and then to a lieutenant colonel?”

“It’s just that there are no words, but I believe that with such actions, the president dishonors not only himself and his son, but also discredits the very rank and honor of an officer,” a retiree who fought in Afghanistan and was awarded military decorations in the same rank writes on social networks. and Serdar. To get such stars, a person had to fight, get seriously injured, and then wait another 20 years for an order to confer a rank, and then again! - and the president's son is already a lieutenant colonel.

Probably, there are people who are watching Serdar's successes only with idle curiosity. However, it seems that the chairman of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, Akdzhi Nurberdyeva, these successes cause legitimate concern and even fear. She seems to have some reason to believe that Serdar is the first candidate to take her place.

It is indicative in this sense that at the end of 2017, the Turkmen media vied with each other to tell how the people's choice, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, came to voters in the village of Dushak, Kaakhka district, to open a new medical complex for 375 places there. It seems that there were no such reports about deputies in Turkmenistan for all the years of independence. And certainly such stories were not filmed about the current chairman of the Mejlis Nurberdiyeva. Thus, it all looked as if out of 125 deputies of the Turkmen Mejlis, only S. Berdimuhamedov worked hard and thought about the needs and aspirations of his voters.

So it cannot be ruled out that in the near future Akdzhi Nurberdiyeva will be asked to vacate the chair of the chair so that it can be occupied by a young promising leader, who, quite by chance, may turn out to be the son of the president.

Although I think Arkadag's swing is wider. Unlike Saparmurat Niyazov, who seems to sincerely believe that he is immortal, the current leader of Turkmenistan looks at things more rationally. If something happens - and anything can happen, as everyone saw in Niyazov's example - it's better to have a son become the successor than a completely outside uncle. Moreover, he will not have to think about the title either: he is already Serdar, the Leader.

What is allowed to Arkadag

In fairness, it should be noted that nepotism for the Central Asian republics is a common thing. Moreover, it extends to all social spheres, from the very bottom to sky-high presidential heights. Whoever you take - be it Rahmon, Karimov, Nazarbayev- everyone has some kind of relatives in power, everyone has one or another gesheft from the state budget.

At the same time, the late Saparmurat Niyazov, with all his specific features, behaved rather modestly in this sense and did not seat children in positions of power.

But the current president of Turkmenistan is a completely different person. He has a whole carload of these relatives, and everyone wants to get a position, take over someone else's business, put money from the state budget into their pocket - in a word, to the best of their weak strength, do something useful for the country.

It may well be that all these relatives are very good people. But the proximity to Arkadag spoiled them a little. But no matter how good they are in themselves, this is still not enough to give them the entire state at the mercy of them.

Arkadag itself can do anything: throw knives, fly a helicopter, ride on tank And bicycle, to manage horse And racing car , to play guitar , sing your own songs, hang your portraits everywhere and erect monuments to yourself.

["ANT", Turkmenistan, 01/16/2018, "Portraits of the president are being changed again in Turkmenistan": Since the new year, portraits of the president have been updated in state institutions of Turkmenistan. From now on, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov appears not in a red tie, but in black. It is reported that private enterprises also received instructions to replace the portraits of the head of state.
The price of one portrait is three manats. In state institutions, including schools, the face of the president is in every office and classroom. Teachers have to pay for replacements out of their own pockets. At the same time, they were asked to turn in old portraits.
“This is apparently so that one fine morning no one will find tens and even hundreds of thousands of portraits of the president in a garbage dump,” joked a teacher from Ashgabat.
The Turkmen authorities regularly change the image of Berdymukhammedov. Now he has become younger, then he is serious and looks straight, then he smiles and looks somewhere to the side. The last time the country changed its face was at the end of February last year, that is, less than a year ago. Then the president was wearing a red tie against the backdrop of a Turkmen carpet. - Inset K.ru]

People will treat all these cute eccentricities and small weaknesses with understanding: the president is the president for that. But when his offspring, sisters, sons-in-law, nephews and other grandchildren begin to do the same, this is a completely different matter. As the ancient Romans would say in such a case: what is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the nephew. But it seems that Arkadag's numerous relatives do not want to understand this, which causes great irritation in society.

The situation is aggravated by the transparency of the modern information society. No matter how the presidential clan hides its extravagant hobbies, sooner or later everything comes to the surface. Moreover, not everything is hidden.

On opposition and human rights websites, on social networks, on instant messaging web servers and on smartphone applications, one can see, for example, very curious details from the life of the president's sister, Gulnabat Dovletova. Videos have been posted for everyone to see, where nephews, sons-in-law and other relatives of the head of the Turkmen state with their friends roll out on expensive cars, feast in chic restaurants and smoke hookah in the most expensive hotels. The most curious thing is that these videos and photos are posted not by paparazzi or enemies of the president. They were filmed and posted on the network by the heroes of such “reportings”. Selfies in the style of "look how cool I am and be jealous" have become self-revealing for many members of the president's family. Another thing is how much they themselves are afraid of such revelations. It doesn't seem like much.

A lot of negativity can be found online about the president's son-in-law, Nazar Rejepov, who controls business and entrepreneurship in the country. Information about one of Berdimuhamedov's nephews, Shomurod, can generally terrify an impressionable person. Shomurod is known for his wild, uncontrollable temper, he is able to raise his hand against anyone who will argue with him in word or deed. It is known, for example, that he beat the investigator only because he disobeyed his order and did not close the criminal case against his friend.

[CentrAsia, 20 12.2015, "Beloved nephew of Berdimuhamedov beat the investigator. The investigator was punished": According to a source in the prosecutor's office, the incident occurred in November of this year.
[...] the nephew of President Berdimuhammedov, while in Dubai (UAE), called the investigator of the prosecutor's office, who was in charge of a criminal case against a certain Aman, a close friend and classmate of Shomurod. On the phone, Shomurod demanded to immediately stop the investigative actions against his friend and not to bring him to criminal responsibility. However, the investigator refused his request, which infuriated Shomurod, whom no one in Turkmenistan has the right to argue with and refuse to do anything.
The very next day, Shomurod flew to Ashgabat and, accompanied by 8 fellow athletes, arrived for a personal audience with an intractable investigator. Without asking unnecessary questions, the thugs severely beat the obstinate investigator.
After the incident, the prosecutor intervened in the case. He personally prepared all the necessary documents for the release of Aman from criminal responsibility and the order to dismiss the beaten investigator.
The head of state was also informed about the incident, who instructed the Presidential Security Service to detain his nephew and send him back to Dubai on the next flight. The President's order was carried out immediately. And no one knows about the fate of the poor investigator.
It should be noted that Shomurod is currently engaged in the construction of a large hotel in Dubai and "assists" Turkmen entrepreneurs in the supply of expensive cars and sports cars from the UAE to Turkmenistan. At the same time, the ban imposed in Turkmenistan on the import of vehicles with an engine capacity of more than 3.5 cc does not apply to Shomurod. - Inset K.ru]

In general, they say about the president's nephews - the sons of his sister Gulnabat - that they subjugated all imports of alcohol, tobacco and industrial products. People even joke about this that “there are not enough business facilities for all the nephews in the country, and the last stage of privatization was launched just for them.”

It is possible to list Arkadag's relatives and their outrages endlessly, but this is unlikely to change the situation. In this regard, I only remember that Lenin dreamed that any cook could manage the state. Turkmenistan seems to have reached the point where every relative of President Berdymukhammedov is capable of running the state. Another question: will there be enough states in the world to get all his relatives?

How Gulnabat Dovletova took over the Turkmen Red Crescent

At the behest of my sister

Former employees of the Red Crescent, who left at different times, but for one reason, the society lost its original role and turned into a feeding trough of its new actual leader, tell about the new orders and methods of management of the president's sister.

Two months after Gulnabat joined the NRCST, the "six" of the Red Crescent rewrote the charter of the organization, re-registered it and changed the position of the president's sister: from now on, she became known as the "General Director". The newly minted boss appropriated the seal of the organization and began to exercise her power.

NRCST is a humanitarian independent public organization. Its main mission is to provide assistance to victims of emergencies and natural disasters, as well as to the poor (orphans, lonely elderly, disabled people), in wartime - to provide assistance to the wounded and their families.

Before the arrival of Gulnabat, the fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement were inscribed on the wall of the main lobby of the National Society: humanity, independence, impartiality, voluntariness, unity, universality, neutrality. Having become the general director, Dovletova ordered the inscriptions to be erased.

Gulnabat began her activity by making a large one out of two offices on the ground floor. She put two guards at the counter at the entrance to the office, and sent a disabled employee to guard another room - the house of the Red Crescent at 44 Azadi Street. She explained this by saying that he had an indecent appearance for the main office. She sent all the employees to the basement, where she also made a major overhaul. She hung portraits of her brother-president in each department. Previously, it hung only in the lobby.

She blocked all the windows of the employees' workplace with bricks, practically walling up people and leaving them without fresh air and sunlight. In the foyer, she put upholstered furniture and placed a large aquarium with fish. Among them, one "shark" swims, the rest of the individuals breed, serving as food for it. The allegory is read unambiguously, everything is like in the Red Crescent, where the shark is the general director, and the fish are all employees.

According to the charter, the NRCST has the right to open self-supporting enterprises under its roof to cover its needs. Taking advantage of this point, Dovletova opened a sewing workshop and two large pharmacies. At the planning meeting, she announced that from now on everyone should order dresses and embroidery only in this workshop and purchase medicines in their pharmacies, where prices are higher than in other places.

“Do you know how much a license to open a pharmacy costs [meaning the unofficial price - approx. ANT]? - she looked around at the planning meeting with her subordinates. - One million dollars! And here we got it. Gradually, our pharmacies will open throughout the country. No one else will get a license for this type of activity in the country.”

From the very beginning of her work, the president's sister introduced a mandatory dress code among employees - to appear at work only in Turkmen national dresses on the floor and with embroidery on the collar and chest. You can’t just wear a long dress, certainly with embroidery. A long skirt with a blouse is also not allowed.

“In a traditional Turkmen family, it is considered shameful to wear a skirt, which means that a girl is frivolous and even licentious, i.e. easily accessible,” she said.

Her leadership of the team is a system of prohibitions. So, Dovletova canceled days off for employees: “No one in Turkmenistan gets them, and you won’t have a rest!”, she said at the planning meeting, although this is a violation of the Labor Code. And now full-time employees are on duty around the clock in the office on holidays and go to work the next day.

Gulnabat banned volunteers from gathering at the main office, ignoring the statutory condition that volunteers are the driving force of the NRCST. Closed the issuance of hot meals, replacing them with dry rations. Now entrepreneurs bring carcasses of sheep, and all employees of the main office cut raw meat into rations with their bare hands, and then distribute it to the recipients of the NRCST. The president's sister even decides who gets meat and who doesn't.

Another “innovation” by Dovletova is the abolition of lump-sum payments to disabled people. They supposedly receive benefits from the state. Introduced a ban on giving gifts on holidays to the wards of the Nursing Home. Literally, her remark on this matter: “There are only prostitutes living there, they did not give birth to children, and if they had children, then they do not need old people, therefore they are handed over to a nursing home. When I worked in the khyakimlik, I never gave them gifts.” And the same is also pronounced at the planning meeting.

Among the bans introduced, there is one: employees cannot sit on upholstered furniture in the main foyer, into which the exit from the CEO's office opens. And you can not go up from the basement to the first floor unnecessarily. Employees jokingly call themselves the children of the dungeon. But it is impossible because Gulnabat receives visitors all day long. On weekdays, everyone who wants to receive a handout from the master's shoulder, mostly her acquaintances, goes to her. On holidays, all heads of organizations and enterprises, entrepreneurs carry offerings. According to an eyewitness, her driver does not have time to take gifts home.

"Personal is mine and someone else's is also mine"

By the way, a little about who belongs to whom in the Dovletova family. Nurana is the daughter of the eldest daughter Gulnabat Maral and the son-in-law of Shamurad, the well-known lawless Shamma in the capital. This is the one who beat the prosecutor half to death for refusing to close the criminal case against a friend, the one that takes away business from honest entrepreneurs.

Gulnabat put her son-in-law in charge of the NRCST pharmacies. Shamurat is not only Dovletova's son-in-law, but also her own nephew, her sister's son. That is, the sisters married their children. Among the Turkmens, such marriage unions are a very common phenomenon. And Gulnabat also discussed this at the planning meeting.

“They say about me that I am a nationalist, nothing like that. Yes, I married my daughter to my nephew. What's wrong with that, I want to save my family,” she said.

Mixing the personal with the official and vice versa, Dovletova allows her close associates to do the same. So Aina Garadzhayeva, her non-staff secretary, being the coordinator of the program, does nothing, but regularly travels abroad. At work, her duties include keeping records of visitors, appointing them the time of reception with the boss, and weeding out unnecessary ones. Together with the boss, they arrange children in kindergartens, in prestigious schools, institutes, receiving rewards for this. G. Dovletova can take the money, not fulfill the request, but not return the money.

And what about the chairman of the NRCST M. Achilova? She is absolutely powerless. Gulnabat controls her movements, her consumption of gasoline when using the state car, insults her at every opportunity. What can we say about the employees, they get it at every planning meeting. Dovletova is not shy in expressions, her statements do not just offend people, they shock them, into a stupor. For example, she stated: "You are all immoral, your women have no husbands, men have no wives." She can tell a male representative in person - you are not a man at all. And she openly threatened the caretaker for his fault - get ready for prison, I'll put you in jail. As a result, she fired him under the article for theft.

The general director does not allow nurses working under the Prevention of Tuberculosis program to planning meetings, does not allow them to participate in corporate events of the company. So she is afraid of contracting tuberculosis. And this at a time when program staff explain to the public the inadmissibility of discrimination in TB, labeling people with TB.

For many years, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent has been pushing the issue of Internet access for the NRCST. In 2013, access to the World Wide Web was opened, and all departments were connected to the global network. Gulnabat closed this window to the outside world. Then I turned off "8-ku" in all departments, i.e. access to intercity communications, although the Red Crescent of Turkmenistan operates throughout the country, has more than 50 branches of regional, district, settlement significance. “Call from your mobiles,” she said at the meeting. Employees have to pay out of their own pocket. Grant support programs provide funds for communication, but she does not allow them to be used.

Today, more than 100 employees have lost their jobs, almost all programs have closed. And it seems that this situation will continue as long as the sister is the CEO. And she will not leave this place, she is very comfortable here. It is difficult to find another place like this in Ashgabat. Office in the city center, she conducts a public reception of her visitors, does not report to anyone. I installed security cameras on all sides. She forced the police to set up a post - booth 02 with a round-the-clock duty officer. The owners of private houses next to the office were not lucky - Gulnabat took away their adjoining territory to widen the road, because her car could not drive up to the office.

“All the achievements of the Red Crescent for 25 years of independence have been destroyed. This is beneficial to the authorities, because they, the authorities, are not interested in the development of civil society. International donors are unwilling to fund the NRCST. And now the organization exists and it's okay, no one cares that it does not fulfill its mission,” said the former employees of the Red Crescent.

["ANT", Turkmenistan, 08/01/2017, "Red Crescent of Turkmenistan: "Slander of envious people" or does it really prick your eyes?" : The authors of the first material of ANT, people close to the Company […] told the editors other features of the work of the Company and the behavior of its general director. […]
“Earlier, employees were admitted to the Society on a competitive basis, and this was in accordance with the principles of the international federation of the RCMP. Now the general director Dovletova accepts only those who she likes personally or on a related basis. So an experienced employee with many years of experience Merdan Kemzhaev, who headed the department for emergency situations and natural disasters, was fired by her sister, and in his place she took a person from the street who did not have experience in such work. This department was completely disbanded for some time, but later reopened, because. Without it, the Society cannot function at all,” the source said.
One of the current employees told ANT that the team is most outraged by the nepotism that its CEO creates in this organization. […] The source indicates that the Company's accountant, Eziz Garayev, is also a close relative of Gulnabat Dovletova. Garayev's brother is married to one of her four daughters. It turns out that a relative of the president's sister is directly related to the organization's finances.
Dovletova is trying to send them to international forums of the KKKP. […]
Feedback was also received from Turkmen entrepreneurs who clashed with Gulnabat Dovletova.
“I read the comment of Guvanch Khummedov and I cannot but answer it, because I myself once had the stupidity to make a donation to the Red Crescent. I must say right away that it was not on a voluntary basis, but under pressure from Dovletova. She uses the fact that she is a relative of the president, thanks to which she forces people involved in business to do what she needs. Every holiday, crowds of entrepreneurs bring gifts to her in whole cars, and on her birthday, July 22, the entire large hall of the Society is lined with expensive flowers. There are so many flowers that casual visitors to the Society think that someone has died there. Flowers, expensive perfumes and sweets are also brought by all local pop singers, she "protects" them too. None of them dares to speak somewhere at someone's celebration without the permission of their sister. Among my businessmen I know, there are those who seek to be in favor with Dovletova and receive bonuses from her in the form of unimpeded currency conversion, clearance of goods at customs, free travel abroad, obtaining land for construction, etc. I understand them, but I can’t do it myself ... ”- Inset K.ru]

Berdimuhamedov: "No one will be allowed to steal people's money"

“No one will be allowed to steal the money of the people, profit at their expense, the head of state emphasized, also saying that, if necessary, the powers of the State Service for Combating Economic Crimes will be further expanded and its staff will be increased, but with such a disgusting phenomenon as theft of state funds, it will be finished!”

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov
(speaking of corruption at the meeting following the results of 2017).

In the Corruption Perceptions Index 2016, Turkmenistan is ranked 154 out of 176.

According to the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan, in the presidential elections held on Sunday, February 12, the 59-year-old was re-elected as the head of Turkmenistan. In addition to Berdimuhamedov, eight other candidates competed for the presidency.

According to the new version of the Constitution, the presidential term will be seven years instead of five.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Dossier

Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich Berdimuhamedov was born on June 29, 1957 in the village of Babarab, Gekdepe district, Ashgabat region, Turkmenistan.

In 1979 he graduated from the Turkmen State Medical Institute. Doctor of Medical Sciences.

He began his career in 1979 as a dental intern at polyclinic No. 5 in Ashgabat.

From 1980 to 1982, he worked as a dentist in a rural outpatient clinic in the village of Errik-Kala, Ashgabat region.

In 1982-1985 he was the chief freelance dentist of the Ashgabat region.

From 1985 to 1987 he was the head of the dental department of the central district hospital of the Keshi village council of the Ashgabat region and the chief freelance dentist of the Ashgabat region.

In 1990-1995, he was an assistant at the Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Associate Professor, Dean of the Dental Faculty of the Turkmen State Medical Institute.

In 1995-1997, he was the director of the Dental Center of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan.

Since 1997 - Minister of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan.

On April 3, 2001, by decree of the President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan (Niyazov himself was the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan).

In November 2006, he represented Turkmenistan at the CIS summit in Minsk.

On December 21, 2006, by decision of the State Security Council of Turkmenistan and the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, he was appointed Acting President of Turkmenistan, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan, in connection with the death of the first president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov (1940-2006).

On February 11, 2007, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was elected the second president of Turkmenistan. On February 14, the inauguration ceremony took place. By tradition, Berdymukhammedov was presented with a presidential certificate and a distinctive sign in the form of a gold chain with an octagonal emblem. The new president walked on a white carpet, symbolizing a bright path. He was presented with sachak - bread wrapped in a tablecloth, a quiver with arrows, the Koran and the Rukhnama.

In March 2007, he was elected head of the highest representative and legislative body of power in Turkmenistan - the People's Council (Halk Maslakhaty).

On February 12, 2012, the second alternative presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov won 97.14% of the votes.

In 2017, he won the presidential election for the second time.

Cult of personality

Among the people, the president bears the unofficial title of "Leader of the Nation" and Arkadag (translated from Turkmen Arkadag - "patron"). Many social and cultural objects of Turkmenistan are named after him, as well as the names of his family members. Images and portraits of Berdimuhamedov are placed on thousands of posters and banners, countless photographs in the premises of institutions, in the cabs of vehicles.

Relations with Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin Putin praised Berdimuhamedov's contribution to the development of friendly relations between the two countries.

Earlier, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stated that Russia and Turkmenistan have centuries-old friendly relations, which are constantly strengthened by new agreements and interaction in various sectors: the economy (in 2015, trade between the countries doubled), education and culture. In particular, about 17,000 Turkmen students study at Russian universities every year.

“Of course, the cultural and humanitarian sphere is very important for us, because these are issues of education, science, culture and sports. Even today we remember how you (Vladimir Putin) yourself founded the Russian-Turkmen school, which bears the name of the great poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Over the years, a galaxy of graduates has been released who not only want to learn Russian, they love the Russian language. In many of our general education schools, and in higher educational institutions, great importance is attached to the study of the Russian language. Periodicals, exhibitions, photo exhibitions are very good with us, the work on the publishing press, namely on Russian periodicals, is going on at a high level,” the President of Turkmenistan said at a meeting with Putin in November 2016.

As for foreign policy, Turkmenistan and Russia have always understood each other, Berdimuhamedov said.

“We are a neutral country. We are grateful to you for supporting us twice, you even co-authored the document on the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan. Therefore, we, as a neutral country, and the only neutral country in the world, conduct our foreign policy based on the Charter of the United Nations: it is peaceful in our country - and in this regard, we are also doing a lot with you and, of course, we will continue this policy in the future. ”, Berdimuhamedov emphasized at the time.

Before the presidency of Turkmenistan, almost nothing was known about Berdimuhamedov, but now his biography has been replenished with many facts.

In the presidential elections held on February 12, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov won 97.69% of the vote, the country's Central Election Commission announced yesterday. And 97.27% of voters took part in the elections.

For the first time, Berdimuhamedov was elected head of state ten years ago, on February 11, 2007, a month and a half after the death of the former permanent leader, Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenbashi).

Over the past ten years, the president's biography has been replenished with many new facts. Here are nine of the most interesting.

1. There is a family - the spouse is not visible

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, 59, has never been seen in public with his wife. Almost nothing is known about her. At the elections on Sunday, he appeared at the polling station with his closest relatives, but again his wife was not there.

The government website turkmenistan.gov.tm reports that the president was accompanied by father Myalikguly Berdimuhamedov, mother Ogulabat Berdimuhamedov, son, two daughters and grandchildren. A photo of the president's family was not published.

2. Became a successor in a short time

Berdymukhammedov began governing the country as vice prime minister on December 21, 2006, the morning after the death of the country's first president, Saparmurat Niyazov.

Although, according to the Constitution, the chairman of parliament, Ovezgeldy Ataev, was supposed to temporarily act as president for two months - without the right to participate in the presidential elections.

But he was abruptly arrested, charged with malpractice, and later sent to prison for five years.

On December 26, an emergency congress of the People's Council was held, during which presidential elections were scheduled and amendments were made to the Constitution, allowing the Deputy Prime Minister to act as president and participate in elections.

In his first presidential election in 2007, Berdymukhammedov received 89.23% of the popular vote. In 2012, he improved the result to 97.14% - it would seem that there is nowhere better.

But in 2017, it turned out even more. Now, according to the amendments to the Constitution of Turkmenistan made in September 2016, the next elections will be held in seven years.

4. Worst among the worst

In 2010, the president of Turkmenistan was named one of the five worst dictators in the world by Foreign Policy magazine.

Human rights activists from Human Right Watch and other international organizations regularly report on the persecution of civil activists and oppositionists, whose trail has been lost in the prisons of Turkmenistan.

Today Turkmenistan is one of the most closed and totalitarian countries in the world. In the Freedom House ranking for 2016, the country was in the top ten along with North Korea, Syria, Somalia and Sudan.

5. Took control of 80% of the country's oil and gas revenues

"President's (Berdimuhamedov's) Personal Pocket: Oil, Gas and the Law" was the title of a report by the American research organization Crude Accountability on the situation in Turkmenistan, published in October 2011.

The document stated that Berdymukhammedov personally disposed of the country's rich energy reserves.

The authors of the report concluded that over the course of four years, the new leader of the country gradually gave exclusive powers to the State Agency for the Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources under the President of Turkmenistan, which closed all activities related to the sale of oil and gas.

The precedent for "manual control" of the country's most profitable sector of the economy was set by Niyazov, who in 1997, according to Eurasianet.org, personally approved all tenders and licenses in the energy sector.

Most of all, researchers from Crude Accountability were surprised by the fact that, according to Turkmen laws, only 20% of revenues from oil and gas exports went to the state budget. The other 80% was controlled by the same agency, which was not even required to report on them.

6. Created the cult of Arkadag instead of the cult of Turkmenbashi

In July 2008, Berdymukhammedov returned the normal names of the months and days of the week to the country.

His predecessor tried to inscribe himself in history by renaming the names of the months: January - in Turkmenbashi, April - in Gurbansoltan (Niyazov's mother. - Ed.), September - in Rukhnama (his philosophical work).

The new names were used only in documents and office work, with the return to the regular Gregorian calendar, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, they rejoiced early: the debunking of one cult turned into the creation of another - the cult of Arkadag (the patron of the nation). So Berdimuhamedov began to be called in 2010, since then the unofficial title has firmly entrenched in him.

7. Helped cut out a tumor, wrote a book

The second president of Turkmenistan is a dentist by profession, he completed his postgraduate studies in Moscow, and in 20 years after graduation he made an enviable career in this field.

By the time of his appointment as Minister of Health in 1997, he was the director of the dental center of the Ministry of Health of Turkmenistan.

Later he became Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for education, science, culture and the media. Already in the presidency in 2007, he received the degree of doctor of medical sciences and the title of professor.

In 2009, the leader of the nation assisted in an operation to remove a benign tumor behind the ear. This happened during the grand opening of the cancer center in Ashgabat.

And the book he wrote about the medicinal plants of Turkmenistan was recommended as a guide to all healthcare workers.

8. Chief horse breeder

Among other titles of the current president is “People's Horse Breeder of Turkmenistan”. His passion - horses, is also dedicated to one of his books entitled "Akhal-Teke horse - our pride and glory."

In April 2013, the leader of the nation, a skilled rider, fell off his horse during a race. Later, the security forces made a lot of efforts to prevent the spread of information about the emergency, but this video is still available on YouTube.

It was reported that the presidential horse stumbled just after crossing the finish line, so that despite the fall, Berdymukhammedov still won those races.

The President of Turkmenistan generally likes to win competitions. For example, once I came to the opening of a car race, suddenly decided to participate - and finished first.

9. Writes songs and sings

During a meeting with voters in the Akhal region on January 30, the president, answering a question about what he was doing, replied that he was working on songs for women that he wanted to present to them on March 8 - International Women's Day.

Then the head of Turkmenistan was captured with a guitar, fervently and with feeling he sang a song to his own accompaniment, thus responding to the musical greeting of young voters.