On August 30, Turkmen president Berdymukhamedov announced he intends to open a new naval base in the Caspian port of Turkmenbashi. The base will, according to the President, “effectively fight smugglers, terrorists and any other forces.”
Turkmenistan has a Coast Guard made up of leftovers from the Soviet Union. For the new base, they will acquire a missile-launching ship and cutters.
The announcement of the base is likely a reaction to Azerbaijan’s move in July to develop oil fields in the Caspian. The Caspian Sea is the site of disputes for all the shoreline states involved. But the major pipeline that Europe wants built, Nabucco, which would transport Turkmen gas through Azerbaijan, makes this an obstacle in Europe’s path to energy source diversification, while it assures Russia of dominance in Europe’s energy markets.
However, this could all turn around as Turkmenistan isn’t happy with Russia either after they blew up a pipeline in Turkmenistan, allegedly an accident.