The president regularly casts blame for Turkmenistan’s troubles on his cabinet of lickspittle loyalists. Public arrests like this week's, however, are rare.
The resignation is the highest-profile departure to date for the new government. A spokesman for the prime minister insinuated that the official might have been under the influence of the former regime.
The Eurasian Economic Union is having a summit in Yerevan on October 1. But it’s not clear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to grace the Armenian capital with his presence.