Meret Orazov served as Turkmenistan’s ambassador to the USA since February 2001. His 25-year tenure got here to an abrupt finish on March 6, 2026, when a decree signed by Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhameov introduced his dismissal.
The decree states, as such decrees virtually at all times do, that Orazov is being relieved of his publish along side “his switch to a different job.” Orazov was additionally concurrently ambassador to Canada and Mexico, and Turkmenistan’s consultant within the Worldwide Civil Aviation Group.
On the identical day, one other presidential decree dismissed Aksoltan Ataeva, who has served as Turkmenistan’s everlasting consultant to the United Nations since January 1994. Ataeva was additionally concurrently Turkmenistan’s ambassador to Cuba, Brazil, and Venezuela.
Diplomats usually serve phrases of three to 5 years in a given nation, earlier than rotating again residence or to a different publish elsewhere. Whereas each nation has its personal system, it’s terribly uncommon for a high diplomat to have a tenure stretching into a long time. As such, the dismissals of Orazov and Ataeva ought to boost eyebrows.
Orazov was appointed by Turkmenistan’s first president, Saparmurat Niyazov. Niyazov died in December 2006 and Orazov served on as ambassador to the USA whereas Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, beforehand well being minister, ascended to the presidency.
The Turkmen presidency grew to become successfully dynastic in 2022 when Gurbanguly’s son, Serdar, grew to become president. In January 2023, the Turkmen authorities reinvented the present Halk Maslahaty, the Individuals’s Council, into the “highest energy” within the land, elevating it above the presidency. Not but keen to really retire from energy, Gurbanguly remained chair of the Halk Maslahaty and due to this fact retained final energy. Whereas Serdar has carried out the duties of president – issuing decrees, attending necessary conferences, together with the November 2025 C5+1 summit in Washington, and so forth – his father retains his personal itinerary.
The Chronicles of Turkmenistan, one of many only a few impartial Turkmen media shops, reported that the elder Berdimuhamedov had hoped to attend the Board of Peace assembly in February.
Turkmenistan’s state media outlet had reported on February 21 that the elder Berdimuhamedov had arrived within the U.S. for a go to. The main points of the report principally circulated across the building of two golf programs in Turkmenistan with U.S. firms. The go to had been introduced on February 16, with out point out of the precise itinerary.
The Chronicles of Turkmenistan claimed that Berdimuhamedov had hoped to attend the Board of Peace’s first assembly, which came about on February 19 in Washington D.C., however that Turkmenistan failed to attain an invite to hitch the board.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan each joined the Board of Peace when its formation was introduced in January and their presidents attended the assembly in February.
Per the Board of Peace’s constitution, membership is by invitation from the chairman – U.S. President Donald Trump – and restricted to 3 years, except a rustic pays $1 billion for a everlasting seat inside a yr of the board’s launch.
The Chronicles of Turkmenistan reported that in an effort to be part of, a rustic needed to both pay the $1 billion “or buy items or companies value that quantity or extra from American firms.” That half isn’t within the constitution, technically, however Trump’s whims are actually a think about his choices and it’s his determination whether or not a rustic is invited or not.
Each Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan had concluded appreciable offers with U.S. firms just lately, lots of them heralded amid the C5+1’s tenth anniversary in November. In September 2025, Kazakhstan reached an settlement to buy 300 freight locomotives to the tune of $4.2 billion from an American firm and Uzbekistan settled a deal to purchase no less than 14 Boeing jets, for $8 billion. These offers have been expanded, and new offers settled, in November. Kazakhstan received in on the Boeing bonanza with a $7 billion deal, alongside a $1.1 billion take care of a U.S. agency to construct a tungsten mining and processing plant, and varied different offers. Uzbekistan expanded its Boeing order and dedicated to importing $2 billion in U.S. agricultural gear, $5 billion in automotive elements, and extra.
Turkmenistan reportedly supplied the development of two golf programs, value $25 million every. It apparently wasn’t a successful bid.
And now, after 25 and 32 years, respectively, Orazov and Ataeva are out of their jobs.
On March 6, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov additionally dismissed Esen Aidogdye from his publish as Turkmen ambassador to Russia, Slovenia, Serbia, and Bulgaria, “in connection together with his switch to a different job.” In that case, Aidogdye’s new job was instantly introduced: ambassador to the USA.
