For the last two decades, Turkmenistan has adhered to a foreign policy of strict neutrality. But the drawdown, in neighboring Afghanistan, of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission has coincided with the appearance of Islamic State (IS) militants in that war-torn country. The two factors have combined to compel Turkmenistan to reinforce its troops along its 462-mile border with Afghanistan (see EDM, February 26, 2014), in addition to recently hosting a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) regional security conference.
In 1995 the United Nations General Assembly formally recognized Turkmenistan’s neutrality (“Permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan,” December 12, 1995, A/RES/50/80, A-B: 90th …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation