TURKMENBASHI: Turkmenistan held its first naval war games in post-Soviet history Wednesday, with an array of warships and fighter jets warding off a staged attack on an oil tanker in the Caspian Sea.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov observed the exercises through binoculars from atop a two-story structure built on the deserted Caspian Sea coast about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the nearest city of Turkmenbashi.
In the war games, the aggressor was given the name of the “blue” state while Turkmenistan was the “green” nation.
“A ship from the ‘blue’ country penetrated Turkmenistan waters to seize a Turkmen tanker...and the coastal city with its oil refinery,” a pamphlet with the exercise scenario said.
Observers — who included various diplomats from Western states — witnessed a staged hijacking, the burning of a refinery and moves by Turkmen airforce and navy on a screen.
By pushing back the enemy, “the ‘green’ state (Turkmenistan) made the ‘blue’ state abandon their aggressive intentions, reinstalling control of the state border,” the military commentator declaimed to the audience.
Berdymukhamedov, who arrived at the exercises in a helicopter and was welcomed with a chorus and orchestra, told diplomats that “Turkmenistan’s military doctrine is defensive but we must protect our border as we are a maritime state.”
Turkmenistan shares access to the land-locked Caspian Sea with Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran.
Defenses of the authoritarian Central Asian country are made up almost entirely of Russian-made units, with some missiles produced in Ukraine.
Turkmenistan stages first ever naval war games
