7 May 2026 – Turkmenistan Beyond Independence: State, Society and Identity

Description

This year marks thirty-five years of independence for the Central Asian republics and 125 years since the foundation of the Central Asian Society, now the RSAA. To celebrate these two anniversaries, we are hosting a series of events covering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan looking at their history, current events and what the future might look like for them and for the region as a whole.

This panel discussion will focus on Turkmenistan and the country’s development over the past three and a half decades. Our panel will consider the evolution of Turkmenistan’s political system, its economic model and energy sector, and the ways in which governance and state institutions have developed since independence. The event will also explore the revival and reshaping of Turkmen national identity, language and cultural expression following the end of Soviet rule. Drawing on the expertise of our speakers, the discussion will examine how Turkmenistan has approached state-building and social change while forging a distinctive national path.