Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdymukhamedov wants his country to be tobacco-free by 2025.(Photo: AFP)
Metropolis Desk-
An “unprecedented” anti-smoking campaign has been begun by Turkmenistan’s president, who has mandated that tobacco be banned in his nation within two years.
The “uncompromising” battle against smoking, according to President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, would target “illegal importations of tobacco products and their sales, including shisha pipes and electronic cigarettes,” according to state media.
He went on to say that “our state will start a massive anti-tobacco movement of unprecedented size to help grow the number of tobacco-free nations in the world.”
In the former Soviet country that has been governed by the Berdymukhamedov family with an iron grip for almost two decades, strict anti-smoking measures, including restrictions on advertising and smoking in public places, are already in place.
Cigarettes can only be purchased from state-run stores.
The goal of Berdymukhamedov, who was given the presidency by his father Gurbanguly, a former dentist, last year, is for the nation to be tobacco-free by 2025.
An estimated 20 young men were detained at its borders on Thursday for “smuggling tobacco, shisha, and electronic cigarette products,” according to official media.
One of them was caught on camera apologizing in front of the public for smoking shisha at home and uploading a video to Instagram, which is prohibited in the isolated country.
The chief of Turkmenistan’s customs department was “severely reprimanded,” according to President Berdymukhamedov, for “poor execution of his functions.”
The nation is still ruled by Berdymukhamedov senior, also known as “Arkadag” (Hero Protector), despite his retirement.
He routinely entertains the country with his son while also having a city, a TV channel, a newspaper, and a football team named after him.
Source – Arab News
