MTS, Gazprom worsen the relations between Russia and Turkmenistan.

ASHGABAT, June 29, 2011 (TCA) -- The Russian corporation Sistema, of which cell phone operator MobileTeleSystems (MTS) is a member, put out a story recently that it would seek compensation from Ashgabat for shutting down mobile phone service for 2.4 million MTS customers in Turkmenistan. But the Turkmen government responded, saying it had absolutely no intentions of providing compensation, as the five-year contract, which expired in December 2010, ended lawfully and it was the prerogative of the Turkmen Ministry of Communications not to extend it Some of the customers have been absorbed by the national mobile provider Altyn Asyr, but many still evidently remain without telephone -- and Internet connection -- awaiting new ventures the Turkmen government is pursuing with Nokia Siemens and Huawaei, the Chinese mobile company. MTS has launched suits in various international arbitration courts but the outcome is uncertain. The episode is indicative of the limitations of new media technologies, once they're in the hands of dictators: people may enjoy greater freedom of Internet connectivity for a time, but it can be removed at a whim. Relations with Russia have been strained since the Gazprom price disagreement and accident compensation fiascos, that led Russia to drastically reduce its purchases from a one-time high of 50 billion cubic meters to only about 10 bcm, and the MTS story was painful, of course. Yet Ashgabat has kept up good relations with some firms, such as Itera, which has invested in the Avaza Caspian resort complex, and has visibly improved educational ties, with a decision to accept foreign diplomas (including many Russian degrees) as valid in Turkmenistan for job placement. Several high-profile science conferences have been convened with Russia. Now, President Berdymukhamedov has fully restored the right of anyone in Turkmenistan to receive Russian periodicals, which has been restricted only to some specialized research institutes. The Turkmen leader seems to have realized that by restricting exchange with Turkmenistan's main scientific and educational partner, and particularly ease of access to scientific journals, he was only hampering Turkmenistan's development. Most of the Turkmen students who study abroad are in Russia and Turkey.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)