Turkmenistan opens door to foreign tourists

State television said the Central Asian country aimed to ease visa requirements for foreigners wanting to visit the Caspian city of Turkmenbashi, named after the late leader and which the government plans to turn into a resort area.

"The document includes measures aimed at developing rest and recreation activities and international tourism in the country, including simplifying visa requirements for foreign tourists wishing to rest on the Caspian Sea," said a news presenter.

The presenter did not say when that might happen.

Saparmurat Niyazov, who ruled Turkmenistan via a personality cult for 21 years, died in December. The new president has taken steps to soften some of Niyazov's harshest policies. The new president, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has shown signs he might ease some of his predecessor's most unpopular measures and vowed to improve Internet and mobile phone access.

During a meeting with Russian and Kazakh counterparts this month, he promised to invest $1 billion to develop the Caspian coast and declare it a free economic zone to attract investment.

Niyazov styled himself Turkmenbashi, or Leader of all Turkmen, and built statues of himself around the country. He pursued an increasingly isolationist policy.

The first leader of the ex-Soviet bloc to introduce a visa regime for other former members, Niyazov banned leisure activities such as ballet, opera and circus, calling them indecent.

Turkmenistan has a law allowing it to deport foreigners for "immoral behaviour" and bar its people from going abroad for "fears that citizens might fall victim to human trafficking and become a slave while abroad".

Turkmenistan is home to ancient sites dating back to Parthian kings and other tourist attractions. Reuters