Turkmen authorities banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in the country's capital Ashgabat and regional administrative centers. About this on Sunday, July 15, reports "Radio Azatlyk".

Sources of the publication argue that the authorities are working on the seizure of alcoholic drinks from the shelves of retail outlets.

The fight against the sale of alcohol in the country began after the adoption on July 5 of the "National Program for the Prevention of Harmful Effects of Alcohol in Turkmenistan for 2018-2024".

"On Monday [July 9], several store owners told that they would seize alcohol from private shops," a source from Radio Azatlyk.

According to him, the next day, raids started on the republic's shops. "On Tuesday [July 10] I myself witnessed how at one of the major metropolitan markets" Mir "from private shops without any documentation, began to seize all alcoholic products. They brought with them special workers who loaded the goods into cars. The owners of the stores were ordered to appear on Wednesday at the police department, where the seizure of their goods will be formalized, "the source said..

A correspondent of Radio Azatlyk in the republic suggested that the intensification of the fight against the sale of alcohol in the country began after several cases of poisoning by counterfeit products. "In Turkmenistan, cases of people poisoning with alcohol have increased in the last few months, even deaths have been reported," he said..

"It is reported that methyl alcohol was imported into the country. And, probably, it was used instead of ethyl alcohol. As a result, there were many cases of poisoning, even deaths. For this reason, market audits are conducted, in particular, alcoholic goods of unknown origin were confiscated, "he added..

It is noted that the state media in Turkmenistan do not report the termination of the sale of alcohol products in the country, however on July 12 the independent public news agency Chronicle of Turkmenistan told about the confiscation of alcoholic beverages started in the shops and markets of the republic. According to the publication, for two days in Ashgabat, all private shops that sold liquor under the state license were closed. Such information was confirmed by the sources of "Radio Azatlyk".