Lieutenant Colonel Serdar Berdimuhamedow, born 22 September 1981, is a Turkmen politician and the son of the country’s President, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. He has widely been considered to be the apparent successor to his father. Little was known about him until recent times.
Early Career and Education
Serdar Berdimuhamedow studied at Secondary School No. 43 in Ashgabat from 1987 to 1997. Between 1997 and 2001 he studied at the Turkmen Agricultural University, graduating as an engineer-technologist. From July to November 2001 he worked in the Directorate for Foreign Economic Relations of the Food Processing Association, followed by two years of mandatory military service. From 2003 to 2008 he worked again at the Food Processing Association in the fruit and vegetable department and in the non-alcoholic beer and wine department. Between 2008 and 2011 Berdimuhamedow studied at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, earning a diploma in international relations. During this period he was assigned to the Turkmen Embassy in Moscow as counselor of embassy. From 2011 to 2013 he studied at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, earning a post-graduate degree in European and international security affairs. He was concurrently assigned to the Turkmen Mission to the United Nations in Geneva as a counselor of embassy. From August to December 2013 he served as head of the European Department of the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2013 to 2016 he was deputy director of the State Agency for Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources. From 2016 to 2017 he was chairman of the Department of International Information of the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On 18 August 2014, Serdar Berdimuhamedow defended a dissertation at the Turkmen Academy of Sciences to earn the degree of candidate of science. In July 2015 he was awarded a doctorate in technical sciences. On 27 October 2017 Berdimuhamedow was promoted from major to lieutenant colonel. His promotion ceremony was broadcast on national television. His branch of service is unknown.
Political Career
Serdar rose to the political spotlight following his appointment as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in March 2018. In November 2016, he won a seat in the Mejlis representing the 25th parliamentary district centered on Dushak, a town in Ahal Province. In March 2018, he was re-elected to the Assembly of Turkmenistan with over 90% of the votes cast in his district. He chaired the committee on legislation and norms as of March 2017. In January 2019, Berdimuhamedow was shifted to the position of deputy governor of Ahal Province, the native region of most of the Turkmen elite. In June 2019, Berdimuhamedow was elevated to governor of Ahal Province. In February 2020, Berdimuhamedow was appointed minister of industry and construction materials of Turkmenistan. On 1 May 2020, Berdimuhamedow was elected chairperson of the Turkmen Alabay Dog Association. He is fluent in Russian and English.
Personal Life
Serdar Berdimuhamedow is married and has four children. A classmate at the Russian Diplomatic Academy described him as even-tempered and unassuming. Instructors and other classmates reportedly described him as "modest, responsive, polite, and calm."
