Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov has replaced the secretary of the State Security Council and the interior minister. This was reported by the Turkmen news agency Orient on Wednesday.
According to the agency, Berdymukhamedov abolished the post of deputy prime minister for security, military, and legal affairs at Wednesday's meeting of the Security Council. Security Council Secretary Charymyrat Amanov, who was also deputy prime minister for security and law enforcement, was relieved of his post. According to the agency, Defense Minister Begench Gundogdiyev was appointed as the new secretary of the Security Council.
Also at the meeting, Berdymukhamedov dismissed Interior Minister Ovezdurdy Hojanyazov, citing "a number of shortcomings in the management of law enforcement agencies, control over road safety, and the inefficient use of modern technology in the interior ministry system". Mohammed Khydyrov, who previously worked as head of the Lebap Provincial Police Department, took over as interior minister.
On Tuesday, Berdymukhamedov confirmed a number of ministers and other heads of departments in their posts and appointed new heads of the Central Bank and the state concern Turkmenneft. Among the appointed heads of ministries and departments, most have retained their positions.
Serdar Berdymukhamedov was elected president on March 12 with 72.97 percent of the vote and took office at the inauguration on March 19. The early elections were called after the former president - his father Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov - said he wanted to give way to young people in politics and step down as head of state. However, he remained the chairman of the upper house of parliament. During the election campaign, Serdar Berdymukhamedov repeatedly stressed that he would continue his father's course.
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Based on materials from TASS