Serdar Berdimuhamedow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Serdar Berdimuhamedow
Berdimuhamedow in 2025
3rd President of Turkmenistan
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 March 2022
Vice President	Raşit Meredow
Preceded by	Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
Governor of Ahal
In office 17 June 2019 – 7 February 2020
Preceded by	Tangahuly Atakhallyev
Succeeded by	Ýazmuhammet Gurbanowa
Member of the Assembly of Turkmenistan
In office 23 November 2016 – 2 January 2019
Constituency	25th district
Former government positions Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers for Economics and Finance In office 9 July 2021 – 19 March 2022 President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow Preceded by Position established Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers for Innovation and Digitisation In office 11 February 2021 – 9 July 2021 Minister of Industry and Construction Materials In office 7 February 2020 – 11 February 2021 Deputy Governor of Ahal In office 2 January 2019 – 17 June 2019 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 2 April 2018 – 2 January 2019
Personal details
Born	Serdar Gurbangulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow (1981-09-22) 22 September 1981 (age 43) Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	TDP
Children	4
Parents	Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (father) Ogulgerek Berdimuhamedowa (mother)
Education	Turkmen Agricultural University Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Geneva Centre for Security Policy Academy of Sciences
Military service
Allegiance	Turkmenistan
Branch/service	Turkmen Ground Forces
Years of service	2001–2003
Rank	Army general

Serdar Berdimuhamedow (born on September 22, 1981) is a politician from Turkmenistan. He has been the third President of Turkmenistan since 2022. Before becoming president, he held many important jobs in the government. His father, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, was the president before him for a long time. In 2022, Serdar Berdimuhamedow took over as president. Many people saw the election as not completely fair.

Early Life and School

Serdar Berdimuhamedow was born in Ashgabat, which is the capital city of Turkmenistan. He went to school in Ashgabat from 1987 to 1997.

University Studies

After high school, he studied at the Turkmen Agricultural University. He graduated in 2001 with a degree in engineering.

Working and More Education

From 2003 to 2008, he worked in the food industry. Later, he studied international relations at the Diplomatic Academy in Russia from 2008 to 2011. During this time, he also worked at the Turkmen Embassy in Moscow. From 2011 to 2013, he continued his studies in Switzerland, focusing on European and international security. He also worked at the Turkmen Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.

He held various roles in the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies from 2013 to 2017.

Military Service

Serdar Berdimuhamedow served in the military for two years, from 2001 to 2003. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2017. In 2021, he was seen in uniform with the rank of colonel. In January 2023, he was promoted to the highest military rank, general of the army, in his role as the supreme commander of the armed forces.

Political Career

Serdar Berdimuhamedov visiting the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in 2018.

In November 2016, Serdar Berdimuhamedow was elected to the Assembly of Turkmenistan, which is like the country's parliament. He was re-elected in 2018.

Government Roles

He started to gain more important political roles in 2018 when he became the deputy minister of foreign affairs. In 2019, he became the deputy governor of Ahal Province, and then later the governor of that province. In February 2020, he was appointed as the Minister of Industry and Construction Materials.

Berdimuhamedow (far right) at a meeting in 2021.

In February 2021, he was promoted to a new position as deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers for innovation and digitization. He also joined the State Security Council of Turkmenistan. In July 2021, he took on new responsibilities for economic and financial matters within the Cabinet of Ministers.

He is also involved in national animal associations, serving as the chairperson of the Turkmen Alabay Dog Association and president of the International Ahal Teke Horse Breeding Association.

Presidency (2022–present)

Berdimuhamedov at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London, May 2023.

Becoming President

In February 2022, it was announced that Serdar Berdimuhamedow would run in an early presidential election. He won the election on March 12, 2022, with 72.97% of the votes. This made him the new president, taking over from his father. Many international observers believed the election was not truly free or fair.

Inauguration Ceremony

His inauguration took place on March 19, 2022. He took an oath using the Constitution of Turkmenistan and the Quran. After the ceremony, he rode in a procession to the presidential palace, where the armed forces held a military parade.

Government Changes

On March 25, 2022, he presented his new cabinet. Most of his father's ministers kept their jobs. One new member was Muhammetguly Muhammedow, who took over Serdar's previous role in economics and finance.

Foreign Relations

Berdimuhamedow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, May 2024.

On his first day as president, Turkmenistan became the first country in Central Asia to accept diplomats from the Taliban government in Afghanistan. In April 2022, the President of India visited Turkmenistan, which was the first time an Indian president had visited the country. They talked about increasing trade and energy cooperation.

President Berdimuhamedow made his first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia in June 2022. Later that month, he visited Russia and Iran. In April 2025, he signed a law to make it easier for foreign visitors to enter Turkmenistan by allowing electronic visas.

National Security

In April 2022, he made some changes to the country's security leadership. He replaced the head of the State Security Council and the Minister of Internal Affairs.

Awards and Honors

Serdar Berdimuhamedow has received several awards and honorary titles:

• Jubilee medal "25 years of Turkmenistan's Independence"
• Jubilee medal "25 years of Turkmenistan's Neutrality"
• Russia: Order of Friendship (2022)
• "Defender of Homeland Turkmenistan" (2021)
• "Meritorious Dog Breeder of Turkmenistan" (2021)
• "Hero of Turkmenistan" (2023)

Personal Life

Serdar Berdimuhamedow is married and has four children. People who knew him during his studies described him as calm, modest, and polite.

He speaks Turkmen, Russian, and English.

In May 2022, his mother, Ogulgerek Berdimuhamedowa, received an award for her work as a carpet weaver. In June 2022, Serdar Berdimuhamedow and his son traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform a religious pilgrimage called Umrah.

In January 2023, a law was signed that gave his father, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, and his family members special legal protection and other benefits.

See also

In Spanish: Serdar Berdimuhamedow para niños