Central Asian Round up

A SUPPLEMENT TO EUROMONEY – April 1997

Turkmenistan

Like many other former Soviet Republics this young Central Asian state was slow to embark on reforms. However since the beginning of 1996 the government has been seeking to implement an ambitious stabilization and reform programme in order to make up for lost time.

Although Turkmenistan has the fourth largest gas reserves in the world, access to the only pipeline to the west is restricted by the Russians. This has hindered the growth of the country, since 60% of its GDP comes from gas.