Tariq Saeedi
We promised 18 articles in this series. — Our team delivered.
By illustrating the profound improvements in a quality of life that is so easily taken for granted today, we have established a clear benchmark. Throughout this series, our primary objective was to build a rigorous “then-and-now” narrative.
In this Afterword, I want to emphasize that the hurdles the government faced at the dawn of independence were not just steep—they were mind-boggling. A single example illustrates the sheer scale of the crisis: the Soviet Center in Moscow used to purchase Turkmenistan’s natural gas at a mere 35 Kopeks per thousand cubic meters. Aside from modest revenues from cotton exports, this was virtually the sole source of income available to sustain the entire nation.
Simultaneously, the country faced a mass exodus of its skilled and educated workforce, even as external powers cast greedy eyes on the vast natural resources of Turkmenistan. Amidst this volatility, the government focused its immediate energy on fostering internal unity. History proves that solidarity is always the non-negotiable first step when navigating through existential, challenging times.
I will not delve here into the granular details of how the government and the people meticulously mapped out a step-by-step strategy, paired with an agile tactical plan, to absorb each milestone of progress and build upon it. That documentation is what we do year-round in our daily reporting.
What I truly want to underscore is this: the country hit rock bottom in the initial years of its independence, but that very rock bottom proved to be the solid foundation upon which everything else was built.
Our target audience for this retrospective is the generations born entirely after independence: the tail end of the Millennials, Generation Z, Generation Alpha, and the Generation Beta babies still resting in their cribs.
Reaching 35 years of sovereignty is a magnificent milestone. Yet, the caravan must not pitch its yurts here. Turkmenistan must keep moving forward.
I will close with the stirring words penned by Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, a national motto that defines the trajectory: “Öňe, diňe öňe, jan Watanym Türkmenistan!” — Forward, only forward, my dear motherland Turkmenistan! /// nCa, 25 September 2026