Speculation has swirled about the political future of the newly resigned head of the National Security Service, who has been publicly feuding with the prime minister.
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.