Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov has denied he has any plans to reorganize his country into an Islamic republic.
"No Islamic state will be built in Turkmenistan, but Islam is our religion," Niyazov said at the 15th session of the People's Council, the country's supreme body, on Monday.
"Turkmens treat their religion as peace-loving people, and the faith of the Turkmen people is special," he said.
Addressing religious leaders, the president said that "Turkmenistan is a secular state, in which religion is separated from bodies of power." The main task of clergymen is "not to interfere in politics," he said.
Speaking at a ceremony last Friday to open a new mosque, the president said that "we will only believe in one Allah, we will appeal to him with our wishes and abide by our obligations set out in the Koran. But this should not harm any other person."
Clergymen who serve in Turkmenistan will study only in the country, Niyazov said. "We have the theological faculty of Turkmenistan's Makhtumkuli State University. None of our clergymen will study religion abroad," he said.
Underscoring the need for a common religious policy in the country, Niyazov said that "religion is sacred to us and we will try to avoid any divisions, either along religious or clan membership lines."