Rashid Meredov, 61, foreign minister and member of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, contracted the coronavirus and was admitted to the infectious diseases hospital in the village of Yzgant in the Akhal velayat on August 24, Radio Azatlyk reports citing its sources.
The last time Meredov was shown on television on August 20 at a meeting of members of the Cabinet, after which there was no news about him.
As noted by Azatlyk, the Deputy Prime Minister did not attend the two meetings of the Cabinet that have passed since that moment. Also, the preparation of the visit of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Uzbekistan is not dealt with by the Foreign Minister, but by Deputy Prime Minister Esenmyrat Orazgeldiev , who oversees the agricultural sector.
The editorial board of the radio managed to get through to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, whose official denied this information, stating that Meredov was at his workplace, and his absence from the information field was explained by the minister's workload in connection with the situation in Afghanistan and in the world.
“The minister is in his place. We are touched that Azatlyk is worried about his condition, but no, he is not sick with coronavirus. He has a busy schedule due to events in Afghanistan and the world in general. Domestic policy issues and consultations related to these issues are time consuming and involve some degree of workload. And so, no, he is not sick with coronavirus. You can be calm, ”said a Foreign Ministry official, refusing to answer clarifying questions.
Radio sources suggest that Berdymukhamedov's trip to Uzbekistan will take place after Meredov's recovery.
It is worth noting that since August 20, along with Meredov, Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Secretary of the State Security Council Charymyrat Amanov was absent at the last two meetings of the Cabinet of Ministers . However, he took part in a meeting of the Security Council, which took place the day before, on September 7.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan