2006 Press Releases

Assistant Secretary of State Boucher Visits Turkmenistan to Attend President Niyazov's Funeral

Dec. 24, 2006

Late yesterday, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A. Boucher arrived in Turkmenistan to attend the funeral of President Saparmyrat Niyazov, who died in the early morning of December 21, 2006. Assistant Secretary Boucher led the U.S. delegation to the state funeral, which took place on Sunday, December 24.

Following the funeral ceremonies, Assistant Secretary Boucher held a press conference at the U.S. Embassy's Public Affairs Section, during which he again conveyed the United States Government's sympathy, saying "I came from… Washington, in order to express our condolences to the people of Turkmenistan and to express our hope for a new beginning in our relationship."

“The United States already has a range of cooperation here in fields like border security or health or education, and there are things we can do in all those areas to expand the cooperation if the new government here is interested in moving forward. We certainly are hoping for a peaceful and stable transition…to a government that will try to provide the justice, democracy and prosperity that the people of Turkmenistan deserve."

Richard A. Boucher was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs on February 21, 2006. The Bureau of South Asian Affairs was expanded to include the nations of Central Asia shortly before his confirmation.