Turkmen leader gifts luxury Cadillac car to grain growersJuly 3, 2012 - 15:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on Tuesday, July 3 ordered officials to bestow a luxury Cadillac car on a regional government after its farmers delivered a record grain crop. "In the era of might and happiness, Lebap's courageous workers put in a big contribution to our country, which is moving ahead with the swiftness of a racehorse," Berdymukhamedov was quoted as saying by the state newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan, according to AFP. Berdymukhamedov, who has run the secluded Central Asian country since the death of eccentric dictator Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006, sets the plan for grain harvest which the Lebap province already exceeded this year by harvesting over 350,000 tons. To reward their efforts, he has ordered the awarding of a Cadillac Escalade, a U.S.-made luxury sport utility vehicle not sold in Turkmenistan and extremely rare for the country where even government officials do not use American cars. The car would be used for "work" by the provincial government, the paper said. The former Soviet republic rich in energy deposits still has the trappings of a Communist planned economy, and is mostly desert, though much of its population is involved in irrigation farming, predominantly of cotton and wheat. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |