Turkmenistan Refutes Dual-Citizenship Report In Russian Paper

ASHGABAT (RFE/RL) -- The Turkmen government has refuted a report in the Russian newspaper "Vremya novostei" on October 31 that holders of dual Turkmen and Russian citizenship will not receive a new Turkmen passport, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports.

The newspaper wrote that Turkmen citizens holding both Turkmen and Russian citizenship are not eligible for new Turkmen passports.

The Turkmen Foreign Ministry called the article a provocation and said the passport-application procedure is consistent with national legislation and international law.

However, some dual citizenship holders in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, have told RFE/RL that their applications for new Turkmen passports have in the past three months been delayed by Turkmen officials for unexplained reasons.