ASHGABAT, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Turkmenistan’s president hinted at possible political reforms on Friday ahead of a rare international meeting he is hosting with the attendance of counterparts ‍from Russia, Turkey, Iran and elsewhere.

President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, whom critics say presides over an autocratic and opaque system, made the comments in state newspaper Turkmenistan Today in honour of the 30th anniversary of the former Soviet nation’s declaration of neutrality.

“We are carrying out ‌extensive work aimed at transforming our neutral ‌country into a powerful, democratic, and rule-of-law state where citizens live happy lives,” Berdymukhamedov said in the article, without giving further details.

The article was published on the eve of a forum in the capital Ashgabat dedicated to th

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