Turkmenistan Marks Neutrality Day With Military Parade

Independence Day parade in Ashgabat, October 2005 (file photo) (AFP) 12 December 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Turkmenistan today marked the 10th anniversary of one of its most important national holidays -- Neutrality Day -- with a military parade at Ashgabat's central stadium.

Colonel Kairam Bairamov congratulated the military cadets and officers participating in the event.

On 12 December 1995, the United Nations' General Assembly adopted a resolution supporting Turkmenistan's neutral status.

The parade included troops chanting "Nation," "Fatherland," and "Turkmenbashi the Great" -- the title given to President Saparmurat Niyazov.

However, Niyazov himself did not attend the event, which was broadcast on national television.

The festivities also featured horse riders parading the flags of the United Nations, the United States, China, Russia, and other countries.

(with Turkmen TV)