On 5 May, 2020, Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe reported in his twitter account that the WHO received an invitation from the government of Turkmenistan and is ready to deploy experts to review the coronavirus situation as soon as possible.
Let us recall that on 22 April, 2020 Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry Rashid Meredov refuted accusations that the Turkmen authorities are covering up confirmed cases of coronavirus and invited representatives of international organizations to visit the quarantine centre.
At that moment the authorities of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan claimed that no coronavirus cases had been recorded in their countries.
The WHO mission arrived in Tajikistan on 1 May, 2020 to carry out the inspection. The day before the arrival the Tajik authorities acknowledged coronavirus cases in the country.
However, the experts did not pay a visit to Turkmenistan. The news outlet “Gundogar” reported that the WHO mission had not received any invitation from Turkmenistan.
On 3 May, 2020 Paulina Karwowska, the WHO Representative and Head of Country Office, told RIA Novosti that she had visited two quarantine zones in Turkmenabat and Turkmenbashi.
It was not specified when the WHO officials visited the quarantine zone. According to correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan”, the quarantine campsite in Turkmenbashi was destroyed as a result of the hurricane, which hit the region on 27 April, 2020.
The official Ashgabat still claims there are no COVID-19 cases in Turkmenistan. According to “Chronicles of Turkmenistan”, a few days after Meredov’s statement, a decision was made to transfer all coronavirus patients to remotely located hospitals.