Turkmenistan: Closure and Development of Permanent Neutrality in Asia
On the land of the Asian continent, there is such a country. Politically, it does not care about foreign affairs, immerses itself in hard work, and is the only permanently neutral country in Asia; In terms of life, the price here is extremely low, and the fuel cost of 5 cents and water and electricity are all free; Naturally, it is surrounded by yellow sand and is one of the driest regions in the world, where the "hellfire" burns that never seems to be extinguished.
This country is Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, became an independent state after the division of the Soviet Union in 1991. The country is not doing well: it is plagued by drought, it is also located in the Mediterranean seismic zone, and it has experienced earthquakes measuring 9-10 on the Richter scale, which destroyed the entire city; At the same time, his neighbors are not fuel-efficient lamps, and the nearby fighting is raging, making the population unbearable.
With so many unfavorable factors, how can Turkmenistan preserve itself and live a self-sufficient life?
1. The fuel fee of 5 gross water and electricity is free: generous national welfare and simple daily life
If you have the opportunity to visit Turkmenistan, the first thing that will blow you will be the extremely low prices.
Turkmenistan has one of the lowest oil prices in the world, and it can even be said that mineral water is worth more than oil in Turkmenistan. Moreover, for the locals, water, electricity, gas have been free since the 90s of the last century.
This is due to Turkmenistan's abundant natural resources, the oil and gas industry is the pillar industry of Turkmenistan, its oil and gas resources are extremely rich, ranking fifth in the world. There is a famous local attraction that proves the abundance of natural gas reserves - the "Gates of Hell".
Next to the village of Dawaza in the state of Ahal, there is a huge burning fire pit, which is the "Gate of Hell". At night, it seems to be a passage between the underground world and the present world.
In fact, the "Gates of Hell" came from an accident during Soviet exploration in the 70s of the last century, when the activities of geologists caused the collapse of this place into a large hole, in order to prevent the leakage of internal natural gas, so it was decided to set all the gas here, but who knows that it has not been able to burn out the natural gas here for decades, which shows the country's rich natural gas resources.
For something to drink, homemade yogurt is often sold at the local market. Of course, the prices of the above foods are cheaper than those that can be seen in the mainland. But if you are unfortunate enough to be a smoker, you are guilty: Turkmenistan has strict tobacco control in the country, tobacco taxes are very high, and visitors from abroad can only carry a limited number of cigarettes.
Although prices are cheap here, the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, has a high level of modernization. Come to Ashgabat, where the unique urban design is impressive.
Designed by French architects, the complex uses more than 4.5 million square meters of white marble, making Ashgabat recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the area with the highest concentration of white marble. This makes the whole city of Ashgabat magnificent, beautiful and holy.
It is worth mentioning that Ashgabat's original intention of using so much white marble was not entirely for aesthetics, but to prevent the erosion of the building by the raging wind and sand.
At the same time, Ashgabat has a complete infrastructure. As the political, economic and cultural center of the country, Ashgabat is full of high-rise buildings, and the people's various living needs can be easily met.
Second, in a complex political environment, why should Turkmenistan stand alone?
As a small, young country, Turkmenistan's geographical location presents many challenges.
Turkmenistan is full of yellow sand, and agricultural problems caused by drought have always plagued the country; At the same time, it is also adjacent to Afghanistan and Iran, which are always at war and plagued by terrorism, which makes Turkmenistan extremely vulnerable to political and even military conflicts.
At the end of the 19th century, war was raging in Afghanistan, and Islamic extremism spread wildly in Central Asia. In order to protect its country from war and extremist ideologies, Turkmenistan has decided to remain neutral. It can be said that for Turkmenistan, becoming a "permanently neutral state" is an absolutely wise act of self-preservation.
Turkmenistan attaches great importance to its neutrality, which can even be seen in Turkmenistan's national anthem. The name of Turkmenistan's national anthem is "Independence, Neutrality, Turkmenistan's National Anthem", which shows that Turkmenistan regards its political policy of absolute neutrality as an important part of its founding state, and it has indeed benefited from this policy.
On the one hand, the status of a permanently neutral country guarantees peaceful development at home and promotes peace and stability in Central Asia, and at the same time, as one of the universally recognized permanently neutral countries in the world, Turkmenistan has gained a certain international status;
On the other hand, due to the special political system in the country, Turkmenistan has been criticized by Western countries represented by the United States on "human rights", and through its permanent neutrality, Turkmenistan can be protected from more serious pressure from the West.
Third, between neutrality and closure
On the one hand, Turkmenistan enjoys a neutral environment for development that is free from interference from external forces, but on the other hand, it also bears the pressures of being a permanently neutral country.
Turkmenistan's refusal to join any international organization in order to maintain its permanent neutrality has partly led to Turkmenistan's international isolation, for obvious reasons: as a permanently neutral country, you have no enemies, but in contrast, you have no close allies.
Turkmenistan must therefore be very cautious in its political exchanges. If one shows serious bias towards any country, it risks jeopardizing one's position in the international environment.
At the same time, Turkmenistan, like several other Central Asian countries, is an "authoritarian state", that is, a highly centralized state in which its citizens must be absolutely subordinate to the government.
This makes Turkmenistan one of the most closed countries in the world, due to the so-called democratic policies of Western countries and criticism of Turkmenistan's "human rights", there are very few countries that can truly trust and cooperate with each other in the world, and most of the time it still needs to rely on natural gas resources and the geographical advantages of Central Asia to maintain mutual benefit with Russia.
This closure of the country profoundly affected the lives of the people. As a Chinese, I am afraid that I will face many difficulties to visit the "Gates of Hell". Tourism in Turkmenistan is underdeveloped and does not welcome foreign tourists itself. If you want to visit, you must obtain an invitation letter from the relevant authorities, and the probability of a tourist visa being refused is quite high.
Although the probability of transit visa approval is relatively high, the screening is also one of the strictest in the world, and the length of stay in the country is also strictly limited. While ensuring domestic security, this has also brought tourism and culture to a standstill.
When it comes to culture, Turkmenistan's cultural industry is even more backward. In Turkmenistan, it is difficult to use the Internet to obtain all kinds of information, even in the capital Ashgabat, the Internet speed is only barely able to be regarded as the level of "village network", once you leave the capital, you can basically say goodbye to the Internet, which can be described as the gospel for those who quit Internet addiction.
All kinds of publications in Turkmenistan are strictly controlled, publications must be subject to official supervision, and all kinds of foreign publications, CDs, etc. are strictly not allowed to be sold privately. The people of all Turkmenistan are very closed to information, and they can be said to be obsessed with foreign affairs, and they are only focused on extracting natural gas.
As for the daily life of the people, although the prices here are extremely low and enviable, even if you are Bill Gates, you can't spend a few dollars here desperately, because there is really nothing to buy.
Due to the simple industrial structure in China, many of the goods we are familiar with either cannot be produced or cannot be used. Although the capital Marble City may seem beautiful, once you leave the capital, most of the surrounding villages are very dilapidated and the transportation infrastructure is relatively poor. The lower cost of living here can only be exchanged for a relatively average living condition.
Historically, there have been many countries with similar circumstances to Turkmenistan, and there have been some countries that have become permanently neutral countries, but some permanent neutral countries have not been spared like Turkmenistan.
Belgium, Luxembourg and many other countries have previously established permanent neutrality through international treaties, but international treaties are only a piece of paper after all, when Germany's iron feet step on the borders of these "permanent neutrals", can "permanent neutrals" become guns to defend the country from war? The answer is no.
During World War II, several countries were invaded by Germany, thus losing their status as permanent neutrals.
Turkmenistan's status as a permanently neutral State should therefore be viewed dialectically. It does protect national security to a certain extent.
In the final analysis, it is not the name of a country that protects it, but a militant army. National happiness cannot only rely on a wise foreign policy, but on a country's developed industrial structure and strong scientific and technological strength. Only with strong hard power can you have the power to declare yourself "neutral" in any situation.
