Türkiye, Turkmenistan strengthen bilateral ties in closed-door meeting

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held a meeting with Dunyagozel Gulmanova, chairperson of the Turkmenistan Mejlis (Parliament) in Ankara.

The talks, which were closed to the press, focused on strengthening bilateral ties between Türkiye and Turkmenistan, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

Numan Kurtulmuş, the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, was also present at the meeting.

Türkiye was the first country to recognize Turkmenistan on October 27, 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and subsequently opened its embassy in Ashgabat on February 29, 1992. Türkiye has also consistently supported Turkmenistan's permanent neutral status.

The two nations share a deep bond rooted in common history, language, religion, and culture, fostering special relations built on mutual respect and cooperation.

Their collaboration spans various areas, including foreign policy, trade, economy, culture, and education.

Ankara is positioning itself to play a pivotal role in transporting natural gas from Turkmenistan to European markets, as the European Union seeks alternatives to Russian gas amid its ongoing war with Ukraine.

Türkiye's recent agreements with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are part of a broader strategy to establish the country as an "energy hub."

Last March, Türkiye and Turkmenistan signed a memorandum of understanding focused on cooperation in natural gas and hydrocarbons. Then, in mid-May, Turkish and Azerbaijani authorities reached an agreement on transporting Turkmen natural gas to Türkiye via Azerbaijan and Georgia. The deal also involves the transportation of additional Azerbaijani and regional energy resources to Türkiye, with some of it being directed to European markets.

Türkiye is exploring various routes to bring Turkmen gas to its territory, including potential swaps with Iran, transportation through the Iran-Azerbaijan corridor, or the development of a Caspian pipeline. The initial phase plans to transport approximately 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Turkmen gas to Türkiye, with the long-term objective of reaching 15 bcm annually over the next two decades.

By Vafa Guliyeva