Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, June 14
By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:
Begench Gundogdyev was appointed Minister of Defense of Turkmenistan, the decree of the president of the country says.
Gundogdyev was relieved of his post as the Commander of the Border Troops. He was replaced in this position by Shadurdy Durdyev, former Deputy Minister of Defense.
By another decree of the head of state, Secretary of the State Security Council of Turkmenistan Yaylym Berdiyev was appointed the Minister of National Security. Prior to that, he served as Minister of Defense.
In turn, Dovrangeldy Bairamov was relieved of the post of Minister of National Security of Turkmenistan for serious shortcomings in work and demoted in military rank from colonel to major.
Turkmenistan has been following the status of neutrality and defense sufficiency since 1995 and is not a member of any military-political blocs.
Turkmenistan borders on land with Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, and on the Caspian Sea – with Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran.