U.S. and Russia Vie for Influence in Energy-Rich Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan has attracted lots of diplomatic attention this week from both the United States and Russia. The flurry of activity suggests geopolitical jostling is intensifying over the Central Asian state, apparently catalyzed by the recent Iranian-Israeli conflict.  Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov capped a hectic week with a June 26 phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the Trend news agency reported, adding that the topic of Iran’s clash with Israel came up during the discussion. The two had also met in person…