Turkmenistan cautiously opens up with e-commerce growth and looser controls
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 2
Turkmenistan cautiously opens up with e-commerce growth and looser controls
9 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 2
Since Serdar Berdymukhamedov took power in 2022, Ashgabat has signalled visa simplification, WTO ambitions and wider diplomatic outreach in the gas-rich state of 7.7 million.
Reuters reported rare unescorted access, while diplomats said some personal freedoms have modestly increased and private businesses such as startup Wabrum are expanding despite tight political control.
The highly isolated country still keeps strict visas, heavy internet censorship and opaque politics, but social media use, foreign travel and activities such as breakdancing are becoming more mainstream.
With visa reforms stalled and internet censorship rising, is Turkmenistan's promise of economic openness merely a facade?
Trapped by reliance on Chinese gas exports, can Turkmenistan's diplomatic outreach to the West offer a genuine path to diversification?
As Turkmen youth use VPNs to embrace global culture, is a clash with the state's authoritarian control inevitable?