The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan reports that it continues the practice of extending the passports of Turkmenistani citizens at its diplomatic missions abroad.
This measure came into effect due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic when hundreds of Turkmenistan citizens were forced to remain outside their home country. Since then, some 200,000 of their passports have been renewed - until 31 December 2024.
"In the face of difficult epidemiological conditions and natural and man-made emergencies in the world, the diplomatic service of Turkmenistan has implemented and continues to implement active measures to protect the rights of Turkmen citizens abroad," the press release said.
The report also said that the Turkmen government had previously arranged dozens of special flights from Russia, Belarus, China, Turkey, Germany, Poland, Romania, the United States, and other countries.
Note that citizens of Turkmenistan could not return home after Ashgabat closed its airspace in March 2020 and canceled all international flights, which have gradually been restored since last year.
Before the pandemic, a certain part of Turkmenistan's able-bodied population used tourist visas to travel for seasonal work - to Russia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Entry documents were necessary because Ashgabat authorities renounced visa-free travel to CIS countries in 1999.
For citizens of Turkmenistan, the most popular destination after independence was Turkey, with which there was virtually no language barrier and with which there was a unilateral visa-free regime on the Turkish side until September 2022.
Credits: Eziz Boyarov, Ashgabat
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