Turkmenistan president Saparmurat Niyazov died Thursday on December 21st, at age 66 after two decades in power.

We would like to send our condolences to Turkmenistan and then to rest of the Turkish world.

A terse report from state television said Niyazov died early Thursday of heart failure and showed a black-framed portrait of the leader. An announcer in a dark suit read a list of Niyazov's accomplishments.

The funeral is to be held Sunday in his hometown of Kipchak, where Niyazov built Central Asia's largest mosque, called "Spirit of Turkmenbashi," at a reported cost of more than US$100 million (euro76 million).

Deputy Prime Minister Kurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, named acting president by the country's State Security Council, said on state television Thursday evening that there would be no change in policy following Niyazov's death.

External Links for more information:

CNN: Turkmen President Niyazov dies