Scores of hand-woven carpets were laid across the plaza—a sea of red surging over the steps to the library in Mary. A Turkmen drill team, in white uniforms fringed with green, paraded on the sidewalk in preparation for National Carpet Day. The plastic sheeting stretched across the steps forced us to pick our way up the granite siding to the entrance.

With the neutrality status declared after gaining independence in 1991, Turkmenistan started to implement a distinct foreign policy strategy. In this way, Ashgabat attempted to preserve its stability in the state-building and nation-building processes, keeping its distance from current regional and global problems. Under the leadership of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Turkmenistan gave the sign that Ashgabat will be more active in the international area with its new foreign policy concept, adopted for the period 2013-2017

With temperatures in the 70s, over 150 participants, including Ambassador Robert Patterson, toed the starting line of the U.S. Embassy Ashgabat Turkmenistan Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon First Wave run on Sunday, March 17, 2013.

Energy diplomacy dominated proceedings at the two-day meeting of Turkic-speaking countries in Istanbul, even though members had ostensibly come to the conference to focus on fostering solidarity in the Turkic world...The energy ministers of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey held three-way talks on Wednesday on the margins of the event about the Caspian region, natural gas pipelines and energy projects...

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov met in Ashgabat Wednesday with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie on bilateral ties and cooperation in various fields. Berdymukhamedov spoke highly of his country's relations with China, which he described as a sincere friend and trustworthy partner.

India and Turkmenistan today agreed to cooperate with each other in dealing with the scourge of global terrorism and called for the early conclusion of the Compehensive Convention on International Framework within the United Nations framework.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov will visit Shanghai to attend festivities dedicated to the opening of EXPO 2010 Universal Exposition.