TURKMENISTAN TO ESTABLISH NAVAL BASE IN CASPIAN SECTION OF COUNTRY

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 22:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ President of Turkmenistan Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov
tasked all the law-enforcement ministries to organize a reliable
protection of the Caspian Sea borders from attacks by the smugglers
and terrorist groups.

Berdimuhamedov decided to establish a naval base in the Caspian section
of the country by 2015, which will be supplied with modern monitoring
equipment and ships with missiles on board. Also, an order was signed
to establish a naval training institute in the town of Turkmenbashi.

"Turkmenistan, preserving constant neutrality, does not intend to
use the naval base to solve territorial issues," Interfax cited
Berdimuhamedov as saying.

Turkmenistan borders with Azerbaijan on the Caspian. Territorial
disputes around oilfields were circulating between the states. In 2009,
the issue was submitted to international justice for consideration. The
issue could impede EU’s plans for Nabucco pipeline construction,
which Turkmenistan intended to join upon cessation of gas supplies
to Russia in April 2009.