Here is the commentary published by the State News Agency TDH, dedicated to the cooperation development between Turkmenistan and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region (Korea, Japan, China, and Malaysia):
One of the priority vectors of the Turkmenistan’s foreign policy, based on the principles of positive neutrality, peacefulness and constructive equal cooperation with all interested foreign partners, is the development of fruitful relations with the states of the Asia-Pacific region. The far-sighted strategy initiated by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, is being consistently implemented today under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
The historically established friendly ties that unite Turkmenistan with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, combined with rich experience and impressive potential for cooperation create favorable prospects for building up multifaceted cooperation that meets common interests.
Korea
The traditional dialogue with the Republic of Korea can be cited as an example of a successful long-term partnership. In recent years, relations between the two states, demonstrating progressive dynamics, have acquired a new concrete content. A clear evidence of this is the solid legal framework of cooperation, major joint projects.
The summit talks held in Ashgabat between President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol in June this year was an important step towards further development of bilateral cooperation.
During the summit, priority issues of Turkmen-Korean cooperation were discussed, where great importance is attached to trade and economic ties and investment activities. In this context, emphasis was placed on the importance of effective work of joint specialized structures – the Intergovernmental Commission and the Business Council. The key areas of partnership also include energy, the field of high innovative technologies, industry, digital transformation, ecology and climate change, and a number of other areas.
As for cooperation in the transport and communication sector, as noted, we are currently talking about the formation of a transcontinental transport and transit corridor from the Asia-Pacific region to Europe, the Middle East. For Turkmenistan, this means the revival of the Great Silk Road.
Special attention is paid to the possibilities of interaction in the field of urban planning. Last year the first stage of the construction of a new “smart” city of Arkadag was completed in Turkmenistan. In the near future, it is planned to start implementing another megaproject – Ashgabat City. In this regard, Korean companies are showing interest in cooperation in this area.
An integral component of Turkmen-Korean relations is the humanitarian sphere, where great importance is attached to dialogue on science, education and culture, as well as health and sports.
At the same time, special emphasis was placed on strengthening ties between the legislative bodies of the two states, on the development of parliamentary diplomacy. The delegation of Turkmenistan headed by the Chairman of the Mejlis participated in the first Meeting of Speakers of Parliaments of Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea, held in September 2023 in Seoul. It is noteworthy that in accordance with the Joint Declaration adopted following the forum, an agreement was reached to hold a second Meeting in this format in 2024 in Ashgabat.
During the talks, the sides also exchanged views on topical issues of international affairs. It was emphasized that Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea will continue to work together to maintain and strengthen global and regional security and achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
In addition, the importance of cooperation in the Central Asia–Republic of Korea format was noted, the 16th forum of which was held in 2023 in Ashgabat. In this context, Turkmenistan confirmed its readiness to support the development of relations between the countries of the region and the Republic of Korea within the framework of the K-Silk Road Cooperation Initiative, which is the first such strategy for Central Asia.
As a result of the negotiations, which took place in a trusting atmosphere and in a constructive manner, important agreements were reached and a large package of documents aimed at deepening mutually beneficial partnership in various fields was signed.
The topic of further development of the interstate dialogue was continued during the meeting of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with President Yoon Suk Yeol. The issues of trade and economic cooperation and the possibility of expanding the range of bilateral business contacts were the subject of a thorough discussion.
On the same day, a Turkmen-Korean business Forum was held in Ashgabat with the participation of Hero Arkadag and the head of the Republic of Korea. This became a landmark event and gave a powerful impetus to the partnership between the two countries. Such events, organized on a regular basis, serve as an open platform for developing mechanisms for the practical realization of the existing potential for interaction, stimulating investment activity, and launching new joint projects.
The successful long-term activity of the leading companies of the Republic of Korea in Turkmenistan testifies to the effective nature of cooperation. The basic factor here is the creation of a favorable investment climate and favorable conditions for the work of foreign business circles. Among the promising areas of cooperation, such sectors of the economy as oil and gas chemistry, energy, transport and communication complex, logistics, shipbuilding, industry, construction and infrastructure, agriculture, the introduction of advanced environmentally friendly technologies, etc. were named. There are also ample opportunities for a significant increase in mutual trade.
The issues of Turkmen-Korean cooperation in specific sectors were discussed in more detail within the framework of meetings of representatives of relevant structures of the two countries organized at the end of the business forum. As it was emphasized, the innovative economic strategy implemented by Turkmenistan opens up broad prospects for long-term effective cooperation and diversification of its directions.
Japan
Japan is a strategic partner of Turkmenistan in the Asia-Pacific region. Developing friendly, mutually beneficial relations, two countries actively cooperate not only in a bilateral format, but also within the framework of reputable international and regional organizations.
The progressive nature is also inherent in the interaction in the format of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue, which has proven to be an effective mechanism for interregional partnership. In this context, special importance is attached to the upcoming First Summit of the Heads of State participating in this Dialogue.
Trade and economic ties are expanding every year, and business contacts have reached a qualitatively new level. The largest Japanese companies make a significant contribution to the development of the Turkmen economy by participating in the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects in key sectors, in particular, in the gas sector and the chemical industry.
Taking into account Turkmenistan’s plans for industrialization and the creation of high-tech knowledge-intensive industries, new opportunities for bilateral business and investment partnership are opening up today. This topic was the subject of an interested discussion at the meeting of the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on June 27 with Tatsuya Watanabe, Senior Adviser on Strategic Issues at Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., and Kenji Sanada, Executive Director of this company.
During the conversation, the businessmen confirmed the desire of the Japanese business community to strengthen long-term mutually beneficial cooperation with Turkmenistan and their willingness to provide their solid experience and advanced technological developments for this purpose.
In the development of the traditional interstate dialogue, great attention is also paid to parliamentary ties, which have noticeably intensified in recent years. Prospects for further cooperation and exchange of experience in this area were discussed during the May 14 meetings of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with Toshiaki Endo, Chairman of the Japan-Turkmenistan Interparliamentary Friendship Group, member of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament.
In this context, the importance of the Arkadag’s initiatives to effectively use the tools of parliamentary diplomacy and hold the first meeting of the heads of parliaments of the countries participating in the Central Asia+Japan Dialogue in Ashgabat was emphasized.
Cooperation in the humanitarian sphere certainly plays a significant role in interstate relations. Turkmenistan and Japan confirm their focus on deepening traditional scientific, educational and cultural contacts, expanding cooperation through higher education institutions, where one of the illustrative examples is the cooperation between Turkmen universities and the Japanese University of Tsukuba.
All this is evidence of the fruitfulness of the Turkmen–Japanese cooperation, its long-term sustainability and dynamism.
China
Turkmenistan’s partnership with the People’s Republic of China is multi-vector and strategic. Bilateral contacts at the highest level are carried out on a regular basis, allowing to identify priority areas of cooperation and to develop joint steps for the practical implementation of the agreements.
In this regard, it should be noted that in 2023, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov visited China twice – in January on a state visit, and in May on a working visit to participate in the Central Asia–China Summit. Last October, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov also paid a working visit to the People’s Republic of China to participate in the Third High-level Forum “One Belt, One Road”.
Turkmenistan and China effectively interact on global and regional platforms, demonstrating similarity or coincidence of positions on key issues of our time, systematically supporting each other in promoting constructive proposals and initiatives.
The commitment of the two countries to the traditional interstate dialogue based on strong bonds of friendship and mutual goodwill was reaffirmed during the meeting of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov with Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Council of China Ms. Shen Yueyue (May 2024).
The purpose of the visit of the Chinese delegation was to participate in events dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the great poet and thinker Magtymguly Fragi, the Day of the Constitution and the State Flag of Turkmenistan, as well as in the forum “The World of Turkmen and Chinese Women”. As noted, holding such meetings is a vivid example of enriching Turkmen-Chinese relations, the history of which goes back thousands of years.
Today, the existence of objective mutual interests allows Turkmenistan and China to build mutually beneficial economic cooperation with great potential. One of its strategic directions is the fuel and energy sector. Here, an illustrative example is the grandiose project of the 21st century – the construction of the Turkmenistan–China gas pipeline, which now provides supplies of Turkmen natural gas to China.
The two countries also have all the opportunities to enhance partnership in the transport and transit sector and logistics, and to form an international combined specialized infrastructure. In this aspect, the ideological and practical proximity and compatibility of Turkmenistan’s strategy “Revival of the Silk Road” and China’s concept of “One Belt, One Road” are becoming particularly relevant.
Systematic contacts through legislative bodies also occupy an important place in interstate relations, where a significant role is assigned to the activities of Interparliamentary Friendship Groups.
Along with constructive political dialogue, productive trade and economic partnership, close cultural and humanitarian ties are a clear indicator of fruitful Turkmen-Chinese cooperation, contributing to the rapprochement of the peoples of the two countries, strengthening the ties of friendship and mutual understanding between them.
Malaysia
Turkmenistan also attaches great importance to strengthening traditional cooperation with Malaysia. Cooperation between two countries is based on the principles of mutual respect and is characterized by positive dynamics, including in the trade and economic sector.
Over the past years, two nations have accumulated significant experience of partnership in the fuel and energy sector. The prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation were discussed at the meeting of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with the CEO of PETRONAS Carigali (Turkmenistan) Sdn Bhd” Ismadi Bin Ismail. (June 2024)
The subject of an interested exchange of views was the possibility of developing new areas of cooperation, taking into account the transformative programs being implemented in Turkmenistan and major projects in the industrial sector. In addition, attention was paid to the topic of cooperation in the field of training specialists for the oil and gas industry. At the same time, confidence was expressed in the further successful development of the fruitful Turkmen-Malaysian partnership.
Thus, by implementing a strategy of broad mutually beneficial cooperation, independent neutral Turkmenistan strives to fully contribute to the activation and strengthening of positive processes in the regional and interregional dimension, making a concrete contribution to ensuring universal peace, prosperity and progress. ///TDH, 11 July 2024