MANILA, Philippines — Thursday is the National Day of Turkmenistan.

A Turkic country in Central Asia, Turkmenistan is bordered by Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the southwest, Uzbekistan to the northeast, Kazakhstan to the northwest, and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ashgabat is the country’s largest and capital city.

Turkmenistan is endowed with rich natural resources. It possesses the world’s fourth largest reserves of natural gas and substantial oil resources. The country is also a net exporter of electrical power to other countries in Central Asia. Cotton is planted in half of the country’s irrigated land making the country the world’s 10th largest cotton producer.

The majority of Turkmenistan’s citizens are ethnic Turkmens who predominantly adhere to Islam, with sizeable minorities of Uzbeks, Persians, and Russians. Smaller minorities include Kazakhs, Azeris, Balochis, Armenians, Koreans, and Tatars. The population of the country is around 5.1 million. The official language is Turkmen, spoken by about 72 percent of the population followed by Russian (12 percent) and Uzbek (9 percent).

We congratulate the people and government of Turkmenistan led by Their Excellencies, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow and Assembly Speaker Akja Nuberdiyeva, on the occasion of its National Day. We wish them all the best and success in all their endeavors. MABUHAY!