Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan
Year 2017 has great significance in the Republic of Turkmenistan. It will set new goals and priorities for further strengthening of socio-economic prosperity, regional connectivity and above all politicization and democratization in the country. Year 2017 is crucial for Turkmenistan for so many diversified but integrated reasons mainly, Presidential Election 2017, V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and grand opening of seaport.
The next Presidential Election will be held on February 12, 2017. The Central Electoral Committee has already adopted the schedule of events and necessary documents for optimization of the electoral campaign. 2582 polling centres have been established. 39 polling centres have also been established at foreign diplomatic missions of Turkmenistan.
The Turkmenistan’s Central Commission for Elections and Referendums, Presidential Election has already permitted all political parties to start “political campaigning” through the country. Nine presidential candidates have been registered with the Turkmenistan’s Central Election Commission. Turkmenistan’s three political parties Democratic Party, Agrarian Party, Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs are participating in the presidential election 2017. Incumbent president H.E. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has been nominated by Democratic Party who elected twice as the country’s president.
According to its constitution, the candidate for President of Turkmenistan has to be a citizen, who was born in Turkmenistan, not younger than 40 years old, speaking the State language and who lived and worked in the country during previous 15 years. The age of the voter is 18 years.
It is hoped that the Presidential Election 2017 will further showcase, Turkmenistan’s democratic spirits at large which will contribute to the growth of social and political activity and maturity of its people.
Presidential Elections 2017 will be held on with new conditions of new political reality and improved legal framework. Three political parties, namely the Democratic, the Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and Agrarian parties, participate in Presidential election for the first time in Turkmenistan. The “Law in the Electoral Code of Turkmenistan” guarantees fair, free and transparence elections in the country from top to bottom. It was promulgated in 2013 and institutionalized in accordance with general international standards.
Today Turkmenistan celebrates 250 days to go to the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games to be held in 2017. Turkmenistan is the first country in the region where it is going held. Diversified events are going on to celebrate 250 days of the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games throughout the country. H.E. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov himself took part in multiple activities. He said: “with today’s events, celebrating the approach of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, we want to inspire, educate, and spread a message of unity and solidarity. We consider physical training and sports to be a great resource to bring people together, and to inspire the Turkmen population and for our athletes to achieve outstanding results, the president added.”
Today’s milestone coincides with the handover of the torch from the Dasoguz region to the territory of Lebap. The 500 day horse relay kicked off in Nisa in May and is travelling the length and breadth of the country, spending 100 days in each of the five regions, he elaborated.
The President added: “We are absolutely confident that Ashgabat 2017 and the events in the build up to the Games will play a fundamental role in the development of the national Olympic movement, while consolidating the principles of universal peace and understanding within our people.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reviewed development of V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan capital in 2017. Rigorous preparation is going on to make it splendid and larger than life event. The upcoming indoor game would provide an excellent opportunity for Turkmenistan to reveal itself to the whole world. The MFA advised all to take all necessary steps for its maximum media projection in the national, regional as well as international mass media groups.
The world renewed mass media already shown great interest to highlight its unique facilities in the capital Ashgabat. Moreover, training of necessary personnel and volunteers, attraction of foreign coaches for improvement of training of native sportsmen as well as for organization of efficient advertisement of the Games inside the country and abroad are being carried out along with the construction of new facilities.
It has so many attractions for the international media. It has a monorail which will run through the 54 hectare territory of the sports complex not interrupting surface and pedestrian traffic. Mini-train’ will run along the 5.100 metre overhead road, which is fixed at the height of 6 to 20 metres. There are eight stations built along the track. Two bridges, which have adorned the architectural ensemble of the Turkmen capital, were erected at the place, where the monorail road crosses the Ataturk street.
The train consists of four modules, designed for 75 passengers, can reach a maximum speed of 70 kilometres per hour, but its cruising speed will not exceed 46 kilometres per hour. At this speed, the train will run along the road in 17 minutes. The construction of this unusual route was launched in June 2012. The monorails were manufactured at the Polimeks production facilities and the trains were supplied by the Intamin Swiss Company. Three trains, which can convey 810 passengers per hour can simultaneously run along the road. For the first time, the monorail will be one of the basic transportation means in the multifunctional sports cluster the Ashgabat Olympic village that will host the large-scale continental event2017Asian Games.
Samples of medals of different value for the prize winners of 2017 Asian Games are presented. It will be in the shape of multi radial star mad of three stars of Oguzkhan inserted to each other. It bears the symbol of the Asian Games 2017 and relative legend in English language and the reverse represents the logo of the Asian Olympic Committee and “Ashgabat 2017” sign as well as two olive branches and five tradition Turkmen carpet patterns. The medal is attached to the green ribbons with “Ashgabat 2017” inscription.
Two thousand medals including, 583 gold and silver medals each and 834 bronze, will be produced for the award of the prize winners of the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
Turkmenistan is the connecting hub in the region. Mega project of “Seaport” will be completed during 2017. It is being built on the Caspian shoreline. The Turkmenbashi shipyard will occupy the territory of 143,000 square meters. Its project capacity is 20,000 tons of incoming steel per year. The enterprise is expected to perform a full cycle of work on construction of ships and vessels for different purposes: tankers, bulk carriers, tugs, oil and gas platforms (self-raising jack up-platforms).
The project cost will be more than $2 billion. The design capacity of the marine harbor is 15 million tons of cargo for various purposes per year. It involves construction of car and passenger ferry terminal with a total area of 230,000 square meters and a container terminal with a total area of 249,000 square meters. Its complex will include a general loading terminal, bulk cargo terminal, polypropylene terminal, as well as shipbuilding and ship repair plant, which will occupy an area of 166,000 square meters. The shipyard will become a new enterprise for the national economy, the operation of which will mean the birth of domestic shipbuilding industry.
Moreover, it will increase perspectives of expansion of transport infrastructure in southern and eastern directions with the exit to such large economic centers, as China, India, Pakistan and the Asian-Pacific region.
