Q: What do you consider Turkmenistan's priorities in the US and what political. economic and cultural relations exist with the US currently?
 A: Turkmenistan was a very closed part of the Soviet Union for the western world. So we are probably one of the least-known states of the former Soviet Union. I think the priority for us now is to introduce ourselves in this country for our people, country, culture. and economic potential of Turkmenistan. To do that we have to make a bold introduction on all levels-with tile Administration, Congress, business environment and also among tile general public. And from that we think there is great potential cooperation between our two countries.

Turkmenistan is a neutral and very stable country in the region. That is, we think, there are grounds for political and economic cooperation, because Turkmenistan has tremendous resources as you know. In all of these areas we need a lot of foreign investment- and the Western world may benefit from our energy resources. The more we introduce our country here. the more we will see opportunity.

 Q: Since independence, what steps has the Turkmen government and legislative body taken to promote  western  business  in Turkmenistan?
 A: The initial step was, of course, to establish embassies in these countries. And then, introduced some laws which will make foreign investment attractive for our country. For instance, we have introduced private, foreign ownership and some tax holidays for investors. Already, a lot of foreign companies are investing or operating state-owned companies, especially in the tourist and textile industries.

 Q: Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and Communist ideology, what new idea or society are the Turkmen people trying to build in terms of religion and politics?
 A: As you know, Turkmen people are very proud about preserving their own culture. So we have introduced some changes in the system toward a market economy slowly. We are keen to keep the country as an independent state, and we are not involved in any military or political alliances. Turkmenistan has announced itself as a neutral state, and the Turkmen people are known for their attachment to independence. We don't want to be attached to any alliance: we support the non alliance movement. Just recently, the United Nations acknowledged our neutrality in a resolution.

In regards to religion. a large proportion of our population is Muslim, but we also have a large proportion of Christian people. And the religious board which reports to President Niyazov is comprised of an equal number of Muslims and Christians. 

 Q: Please elaborate on the recent Turkmenistan position of neutrality which was passed in the United Nations on December 14.
 A: We are thankful to other nations for their support of our position. I think this resolution was unique for the United Nations. It states that Turkmenistan will not be a part of any alliances. We asked for recognition of this by other countries of the world. And we have already received their approval, so everyone now knows where we stand for the future.

 Q: Yet. Turkmenistan  is a member of the Commonwealth of independent States and is a member of ECO. Don't you see this as a contradiction of your country's non-alignment position?
 A: While the country may be a member of several multilateral organizations, it has not, nor will it take a political position on issues that are brought before the organization's members. Turkmenistan has clearly defined its role as a CIS and ECO member state. The organizations are a forum for debate, not a tool to design and implement a military, political or economic union. Turkmenistan has refused to sign treaties on collective security, joint border defense, and military cooperation among the CIS states. Turknenistan's membership in the CIS is to participate in the discussion of the region's growth, not in its political alignment.

 Q: What about the Turkmenistan Armed Forces. Are you in the process of building the Armed Forces?
 A: Sure. We are building our national army. But we will never be a big army, because we are an army without a political position. We do not need a big army: it is just enough to make our people feel comfortable.

 Q: Is there any contract between the Turkmen Government, your military and NATO?
 A: We are a member of the NATO Partnership for Peace.

 Q: Historically, the region of the Caspian Basin was the apple of dispute of different regional powers  like Russia, Iran and Turkey. How I  do you think you will build your relations regionally with these three powers?
 A: Well, we don't think there are any apples for us to share any longer. So we will cooperate with any country where we find it beneficial for economic reasons. We will try to make the most use of our resources for our people first, and then for the benefit of the region. So we do not see it as a sharing of anything by others.

 Q: So you are in favor of equal relations with each country in the region-not accepting any sphere of influence with any of them.
 A: That's right. 

 Q: You mentioned that there are a lot of natural resources. But in terms of building an infrastructure and economy, are you considering bringing in other companies to help build telecommunications, for example, or roads, hotels. etc.?
 A: Sure. One of the things you'll notice  when  you  travel  to Turkmenistan is the large amount of hotel development. So we have immediately started to promote development in  the  areas of accommodation, transportation and communications with other countries and companies. Transportation is also a key issue for our economic development because Turkmenistan is on the crossroads of west-to-east. north-to-south transportation for all of Central Asia. Developing our transportation infrastructure will greatly assist both our country and the region.

 Q: Recently,: American and Saudi oil companies signed an agreement with the Turkmen  government oil a gas project . How are you planning on exporting that gas onto the world market
 A: This project was developed to Provide Pakistan with gas. So, we will only sell gas to them at our borders. That market had been developed mainly by this American company for supplying gas to Pakistan via Afghanistan. So a lot depends on the peace process in Afghanistan.

 Q: With respect to the legal issues surrounding the resources of the Caspian Sea, the government of Russia and leaders from Iran recently announced that all natural resources should be jointly be exported by all Caspian Basin states, As you know, Azerbaijan and Kazakstan are taking opposite positions on this issue. What is the position of Turkmenistan?
 A: The Caspian Sea is a small sea, and we don't have an economic relationship there. so we think we need to sit down and decide how to work on the Caspian Sea issues with all countries involved in this issue, but after they have reached an agreement. This agreement is essential, otherwise. just drawing lines may  cause disputes in the future. And we don't want to see any disputes among our neighbors.

 Q: Is there any final comment you would like to say to our readers?
 A: In general, I can say that there is a lot of opportunity for business in the region-not only in our country. but in the area. I would like to see more oil companies visiting the region and developing projects which will help in the further development of our region.