Turkmenistan is improving economic ties with the U.S. The priority for Ashgabat seems to be diversification. Turkmenistan looks to Qatar as it aims to ramp up LNG exports. In late August, the president of Turkmenistan signaled that the end was near for price caps for staple goods in state-owned stores. He has wasted no time. As Vienna-based Chronicles of Turkmenistan reported on October 10, the cost of bread in government stores in the capital, Ashgabat, has quadrupled. And while the price of a flatbread has increased, the weight of a standard loaf has fallen. Elsewhere in the country, expected amounts of price-controlled food have not been delivered at all, Chronicles reported. These changes have not been compelled, however. As the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development noted in its most recent Regional Economic Prospects review, sky-high global prices for energy resources have been kind to Turkmen coffers. “Turkmenistan has […]