Embassy News

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Finishes its Visit to Turkmenistan

PAS No 192
August 24, 2007

Members of the delegation with U.S. Chargé d'Affaires a.i. Hoagland

Ashgabat, August 24, 2007 – Members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, led by Chairman Michael Cromartie, concluded their five-day official visit to Turkmenistan.  The delegation arrived in Turkmenistan on August 19 for a fact-finding mission to learn more about religious freedom, treatment of religious minorities, and the overall human rights situation in Turkmenistan.  On August 20, the delegation met with Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov.  Other meetings included the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, Culture and Broadcasting, Education, Justice, as well as a meeting at Turkmenistan’s Parliament (Mejlis). 

Near the end of the week-long visit, Chairman Cromartie stated that the commission had “been greeted warmly by the Turkmen government and both sides have engaged in frank exchanges regarding the state of religious freedom in this country.  We have also met with members of Turkmenistan’s minority religious communities and were concerned by the testimonials we heard.  (…)  Our meetings with government officials have been constructive, and we hope their commitment to progress is genuine.”  Commissioner Donald Argue added, “If the commission did not believe in hope, we would not be here.  There are some encouraging signs, but there is still a long way to go.  We hope the Turkmen government will fully embrace its religious freedom obligations under the Turkmen Constitution and international human rights law.”

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. government agency that was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of the U.S. Congress in 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the U.S. Congress.  Visit http://www.uscirf.gov/ for more information.