Turkmenistan: Dictator’s Daughter Makes Her Political Debut

(Eurasianet) -- She was living a comfortable life in London in relative obscurity until her father, the omnipotent leader of Turkmenistan, summoned her home to Ashgabat and thrust her onto the political stage.

That was almost five months ago. Now, Oguljahan Atabayeva is a constant presence in the tightly state-controlled press, in the limelight alongside her brother and the nominal president, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, and the country’s supreme leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

Atabayeva is playing a large public role while holding the unremarkable title of vice president for medical activities at the Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov Foundation. She is clearly being groomed for a key post in the family business of running Turkmenistan like a privately held corporation. But what position she will ultimately hold perhaps only her father knows.

An April 24 interview given in English and broadcast by the Al-Arabia television channel offered a hint that she will serve as a family emissary to the outside world, helping to ease Turkmenistan into the global mainstream. Atabayeva styled herself as a spokesperson for Turkmen youth and women, while offering a global perspective on public health issues concerning Turkmenistan. She seems much more at ease speaking English than Serdar.

“The protection of motherhood, childhood and care of the younger generation align with the priorities of Turkmenistan. These priorities are not only a central part of national policy, but also the main pillars of our identity,” she said. “We also understand that in today's conditions, the achievement of this goal should be accompanied by broad international cooperation, close work with specialized structures of the UN, other international institutions, as well as at the bilateral and regional level.”

After gaining independence in the early 1990s, Turkmenistan vigorously kept outside influences at bay while building a totalitarian political system second only to North Korea in its ruthlessness. But in recent months, the Turkmen leadership has taken tentative steps to boost international trade connections, including making it easier for foreigners to visit the country.

It seems Atabayeva is being set up as a representative of the softer side of the Turkmen dictatorship, tasked with making foreign contacts that can help address social, educational and public health challenges associated with the country’s economic opening. Her interview comments made clear that Turkmenistan wants to strengthen ties with UN agencies such as UNICEF and UNDP, as well as international development organizations.

“The geography of our partners is expanding,” she said, without going too deeply into specifics. “A striking example of this is the recent establishment of cooperation with humanitarian charitable foundations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. We also strive to establish and strengthen relations with other regions of the world.”