Azerbaijan, Baku, August 31 / Trend G.Hasanov /
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, the official Turkmen sources said.
"The sea borders must always be ready to combat the smugglers and terrorists aimed at destabilizing the situation inside the country," the source refers to the words of the Head of State, who is also the supreme commander and the head of the State Security Council. This message was addressed to the heads of the Defense Ministry, Border Guards, Ministry of National Security and Interior Ministry.
According to the approved military doctrine, the main tasks of the State Border Service is to protect the state border of Turkmenistan, the sea border and shallow sea, marine economic zone, prevent illegal border changes, etc.
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 does not make territorial claims towards any country and does not consider any country as its enemy. Turkmenistan considers its borders as those of peace, friendship and good neighborhood," the Turkmen President, the national TV channel Altyn Asir reported.
Turkmenistan is border with Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on the land, and with Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran, which have the naval fleet, on the sea. But Ashgabat was limited with purchases of military-patrol ships Kalkan and Grief in the CIS.
The Turkmen head motivated the need for upgrading the whole national army and strengthening the military-strategic position on the sea with the fact that today the international extremist and terrorist groups that are interested in drug smuggling gain turnover.
casualties. Independent observers consider that the concerns of Ashgabat were caused by a series terrorist attacks in the North Caucasus, particularly in Dagestan - which has the border on the Caspian Sea.
As known, up to now, Turkmenistan itself faced with "violence actions". After the incident in Ashgabat in mid September 2008 when, according to Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan, an armed drug gang was defused, unmanned planes were purchased in Russia, which can be used during secret observations and anti-terror operations.
The Turkmen media outlets report that recently Berdimuhamedov attended the opening of the buildings of Police and Military academies. In particular, the employees of the National Security Ministry held training.
International independent observers consider that up to recent period, the territory of Turkmenistan has been actively used for smuggling drugs from neighboring Afghanistan to Europe. Berdimuhamedov, who became the president of Turkmenistan in February 2007, has taken some serious steps to block this direction. A special State service to combat drug trade was established, regulations began to be prepared to combat criminal money-laundering, through which terrorism can be financed.
Supplying necessary equipment, the West actively assists Turkmenistan in this matter. Over the recent years, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, David Petraeus, twice visited Ashgabat. Just a week ago, the British delegation headed by deputy chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of this country Jeff Mason visited Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan follows the constitution of military doctrine, which "having the defensive character, is aimed at protecting peace in the country, ensuring the integrity of its borders, maintaining the solidarity of people, protecting its peaceful and prosperous life, further strengthening the power of the Armed Forces and other troops, successfully implementing tasks, further equipping the Armed Forces and other troops with the most modern armaments and military equipment."
During the beginning of military operations of NATO forces against the Taliban movement, official Ashgabat refused to provide a transport corridor for goods of military-strategic significance, except humanitarian goods.
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