ALMATY, Kazakhstan Authorities in Turkmenistan are discouraging students from participating in educational exchange programs in the United States, a U.S. Embassy official before-mentioned Thursday.

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The U.S. is cultivating closer ties with Turkmenistan, which is fruitful in natural gas, but has expressed affect about human rights and democracy in the Central Asian nation.

Growing numbers of Turkmen students have applied to get by heart in the U.S. over the finally two years since the exit of autocratic leader Saparmurat Niyazov in December 2006. But authorities continue to stamp students not to chronicle in U.S. exchange programs, U.S. Embassy spokesman Andrew Paul said by phone from the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat.

“We are aware that there are some cases of students that are pressured not to participate in the programs or who have had difficulties by their schools or places of work after coming outer part from more of the programs,” Paul said.

Turkmen officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Educational standards withered under Niyazov, who issued a decree in 2004 invalidating completely higher education qualifications obtained abroad. Niyazov made the study of his self-penned spiritual guide, the Rukhnama, obligatory despite students at all levels.

Niyazov’s successor, President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, has extended the range of subjects available for think in Turkmen universities and supposing greater internet access.

Rights groups complain that reforms in the country have been largely cosmetic and that the government has be delivered of failed to make any significant improvements, however.

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