The
Serdar Berdimuhamedow
Serdar Gurbangulyevich Berdimuhamedov is a Turkmen statesman and
political figure. The current President of Turkmenistan and the Supreme
Commander of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan since March 19, 2022
The
only son of the second president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedov
Biography
Serdar
Berdimuhamedov was born on September 22, 1981, during the york academy service years in the city of Ashgabat, in the family of
a dentist Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich Berdimuhamedov. Mother of Serdar
Berdimuhamedov - Ogulgerek Ataevna Berdimuhamedova, according to some sources,
is the same age as her husband and his cousin, being a teacher by profession. The
name "Serdar" is translated from the Turkmen language as "leader"
or "leader", being a popular male name in Turkmenistan. Serdar
Berdimuhamedov has two sisters, Guljahan and Gulshan. There is no
information about the age of his sisters, which is why it is not known whether
Serdar is the eldest of the children or not.
Serdar
Berdimuhamedov graduated from secondary school in Ashgabat at the very end of
the 90s, and in the same place in 2001 he graduated from the Turkmen
Agricultural University named after S. A. Niyazov with a degree in process
engineering. Around this period, in 1997, his father began political activity, becoming immediately the Minister of Health and
Medical Industry, and in 2001, in parallel, one of the deputy chairmen of
the country's Cabinet of Ministers, headed by President Saparmurat Niyazov himself
After graduating from university in 2001, 20-year-old Serdar Berdimuhamedov immediately began working as a chief specialist in the Department of Foreign Economic Relations of the Turkmen Food Industry Association, a state organization. Meanwhile, according to official data, from 2001-to 2003 he served in the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan, but according to unofficial data, he did not pass it, "serving" only "on paper", and continuing to work in the Association of the Food Industry of the country.
At this time, his father, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, continued to work as the Minister of Health and Medical Industry, as well as in parallel as Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic. Again, according to official data, from 2003 to 2006, Serdar Berdimuhamedov worked as the chief specialist of the main department for the fruit and vegetable industry in the same Food Industry Association, and after coming to the top of power (that is, to the presidency) of his father in December 2006, after the death officially lifelong president - "Eternally Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi”, became the chief specialist of the Office of the Beer, Non-Alcoholic and Wine Industry of the Food Industry Association.
It is reported that by that time the Berdymukhammedov family and their relatives almost completely monopolized the food and food industry of the country, and personally Serdar Berdimuhamedov was especially successful in the country's wine and alcohol business.
He left his job in
2008 at the Food Industry Association, which is a monopoly and
supervisory and punitive body in the country in the field of food, but at the
same ti, he retained numerous informal businesses in the above areas.
From 2008-to 2011, without having a diplomatic or other similar specialized education,
he was listed as an advisor-envoy at the embassy of his
country in the Russian Federation, in Moscow. It was reported that in 2011, during his
diplomatic service in the Russian capital, he graduated from the Diplomatic
Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation under the second
higher education program with a degree in international relations.
From 2011-to 2013, he was listed as an adviser at the Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan
at the
United Nations Office in Geneva ( Switzerland ), at the same time - a student at
the prestigious Geneva Center for Security Policy He
graduated from the program of this center in the direction of "European
and international security". After returning from Switzerland in
2013, he was appointed head of the department for European countries of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, and accordingly, Serdar Berdimuhamedov directly began to
oversee his country's foreign policy towards European countries until 2014,
when he left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 2013, he was simultaneously appointed deputy director of the State Agency for the Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources of Turkmenistan, one of the richest and most influential departments in the country. He worked in this department as a deputy director until 2016.
In August 2014
he became a
candidate in technical sciences and in July 2015 a doctor of technical
sciences.
In 2016-2017 - Head of the Department for International Information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
In November 2016, he was elected as a deputy of the then unicameral Mejlis of Turkmenistan of the 5th convocation in by-elections for vacant seats from the ruling Democratic ParPartyt.
On March 20, 2017, he was elected Chairman of the Committee on Legislation and its Norms in the same convocation of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan.
On October 27,
2017, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel and, along with
him, was awarded the Myalikguly Berdimuhamedov medal with the
wording "for services to the fatherland and people." During the
award ceremony, he was dressed in a full-dress military uniform At the next
parliamentary elections Marchonon 25, 2018, he was elected a deputy of the then
unicameral Mejlis of Turkmenistan of the VI convocation, again from the ruling
Democratic Party.
While still a member of the country's parliament, on March 30, 2018, he was appointed one of the deputy ministers of foreign affairs in the Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov elections although the country's electoral code prohibits deputies of the Mejlis from holding other government positions or posts, as well as doing business. He worked as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs until January 1, 2019, while being a deputy. From January 1, 2019, he became one of the deputies of the khyakim (that is, the governor) of the Akhal velayat (that is, regions) - perhaps the most important and central region of the country, within which the capital is located.
On June 18, 2019, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov
appointed Serdar Berdimuhamedov (that is, his son) directly as the Hakim of
Akhal Velayat. All this time, in violation of the law, he simultaneously
continued to be a member of the Parliament of Turkmenistan, resigning his
mandate only in February 2020.
On February 7, 2020, he was appointed Minister of Industry of Turkmenistan by the President and at the same time by his father, holding this ministerial portfolio for exactly one year - until February 11, 2021.
On the same day, he was appointed Vice Prime
Minister of Turkmenistan. HakimBefore this, there was no such position in the
country (“Deputy Prime Minister”). There is no position of "prime
minister" in the country, and the head (chairman) of the Cabinet of
Ministers of Turkmenistan is the president himself, being both the head of
state and the head of government. Therefore, in Turkmenistan, the term
“prime minister” is not used even at an unofficial level, since both the
president and the chairman of the government are the same person - Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedov. This tradition was started by Saparmurat Niyazov, and in
independent Turkmenistan, there has never been a separate head of government.
On
the same day, February 11, 2021, he was simultaneously appointed Chairman of
the Supreme Control Chamber of Turkmenistan and a member of the State
Security Council of Turkmenistan He held both positions and positions until July 9,
2021, remaining only the Deputy Prime Minister until now.
A
year later, on February 14, 2022, the ruling Democratic Party nominated Serdar
Berdimuhamedov as a candidate for the presidency of Turkmenistan in a snap presidential
election Berdimuhamedov
Sr. explained his refusal to run for a new term with a desire to “give way to
young leaders” As a result, according to official data,
Serdar won and won 72.97% of the vote. During telephone conversations with
leaders of different countries, Serdar promised to continue his father's
policy. After the elections in the country, observers began to report
massive violations.
Family and personal life
Serdar Berdimuhammedov has been married since 2001 (that is, he married at the age of 20) and, according to some sources, has four children - a son and three daughters. Nothing is known about the name and biography of his wife, but there are rumors according to which, like his mother, his wife is also called Ogulgerek.
According to some reports, one
of the favorite grandchildren of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov - Kerimguly (born in
2002), who often appears with his grandfather in public, is the son of Serdar
Berdimuhamedov. According to other sources, Kerimguly
is the son of Guljahan, the sister of Serdar a, and the d more aught of Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedov. It is known that, probably, two of the three daughters of
Serdar Berdimuhamedov are named Ogulbabek or Ogulbyabek (born in 2004) and
Aigul (born in 2008).
The personal life of the presidential family is not advertised and is hidden in every possible way. The Turkmen opposition media at one time managed to find out that three children (reportedly Kerimguly, Ogulbabek, and A, Miguel ) of Serdar Berdimuhamedov studied at the prestigious and expensive Ecolint International School during his work and study in Geneva Switzerland
In
2020, the cost of a year of study at this institution was almost 35 thousand Swisfrancs or, about 36 thousand
US dollars. Additionally, about 7 thousand dollars is the registration fee
and various fees and expenses. Due to the openness of the data of this
school, it became known that Kerimguly should graduate from this school in
2021, Ogulbabek in 2023, and Aigul in 2027. But the Turkmen opposition
media learned that all of them never graduated from this school, returned with
their father to Turkmenistan in 2013, and the school did not answer the
questions of these media about whether they are active students or not
Personality and criticism
Some note that Serdar Berdimuhamedov is not distinguished by charisma. Observers point to his unnatural and strange quiet voice and unpleasant for hearing and perception, barely audible and monotonous manner of speech. It is also noted that "in many photos and videos, he certainly looks like he feels uncomfortable," or has an unnatural facial expression.
One of the students who studied with him at the Russian diplomatic academy noted his imperturbable character, while answering the questions of some students and teachers about political prisoners and the situation in Turkmenistan, he preferred not to answer at all. Since 2021, the personality of Serdar Berdimuhamedov began to attract the special attention of the state media in Turkmenistan, especially state television.
They began to
show reports more often, where Serdar Berdimuhamedov was a key participant. PriseveralBeforeis, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov himself had been the key
participant in Turkmen news reports, and Turkmen TV broadcasters did not focus
on any other official, indicating only occasionally the names of officials in
their reports. According to the media, people who know him say that he is
more interested in business and not very interested in politicendeavor.
When he headed the Akhal velayat, he introAnau andber of new rules for access to the building of the regional administration in the city of AnauAnau endeavor within it. At the door of his office th, ere was a permanent guard, which was not there under the previous khakis khaki.
In addition, only a few officials were allowed to enter his office, and when Serdar Berdimuhamedov entered the khyakimlik building or left, none of the employees had the right to leave their workplace. At other times, employees were prohibited from leaving the building and the workplace in general (desk and office) unless necessary, as well as being absent from work without a good reason.
They were also instructed to be very quiet both in the corridors and in their offices. Carrying mobile phones and other gadgets inside the building was prohibited for everyone. People who have encountered him note that one of his favorite expressions is "I'll break my neck!".
He also uses this expression when communicating
with subordinates. One of the residents of Annau said that he tried to get
an appointment with him, but he was given to understand that neither the
khaki (that is, Serdar Berdimuhamedov) nor his deputies were receiving anyone
on personal matters
Awards
Decorations
- Order of "Garaşsyz Türkmenistana Bolan beýik söýgüsi üçin" ("For great love of independent Turkmenistan")
- "Mälikguly Berdimuhamedow" medal
- Jubilee medal "Türkmenistanyň Garaşsyzlygynyň 25 ýyllygyna" ("25 years of Turkmenistan's Independence")
- Jubilee medal "Türkmenistanyň Bitaraplygynyň 25 ýyllygyna" ("25 years of Turkmenistan's neutrality")
Honorary Titles
- "Türkmenistanyň Watan goragçysy" (2021) ("Defender of Homeland Turkmenistan")
- "Türkmenistanyň at gNazaninitşynasy" (2021) ("Meritorious Dog Breeder of Turkmenistan")
