On 25 February 2025, the eighth meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Türkiye and Turkmenistan was held in Ankara, at the Presidential Complex, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding economic partnership. The meeting was chaired by Vice President of Türkiye Cevdet Yilmaz and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Nokerguly Atagulyev.
Strategic partnership and fraternal ties
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz stressed the special nature of relations between the two countries, calling them “brotherly.” According to him, the political will for cooperation demonstrated by the presidents of both countries, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Serdar Berdimuhamedov, is the main source of motivation for the further development of bilateral relations.
Nokerguly Atagulyev, in turn, noted the thousand-year history of the Turkmen-Turkish brotherhood, stressing that modern relations and cooperation are developing thanks to the mutual initiatives of the leaders of the two states.
87-point Protocol: key areas of cooperation
Following the meeting, a comprehensive protocol was signed, which includes 87 points and covers a wide range of areas of cooperation. The document defines specific steps in the areas of trade and investment, energy, transport and logistics, scientific cooperation, agriculture, and healthcare.
The document also defines event to expand the partnership, including the hosting of an exhibition of Turkmen goods in Türkiye and the establishment of a Joint Customs Committee to simplify trade procedures.
Energy cooperation: a new stage
The meeting highlighted the strategic importance of energy cooperation, particularly regarding Turkmen gas.
Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz confirmed agreements for gas transport to Türkiye, beginning with a 1.3 billion cubic meter swap.
The Vice President stressed that this is just the beginning, and expressed his desire to enable access of Turkmen gas and electricity to the world market.
“We see this as a starting point. We believe that in the later stages, these figures will be much higher and that Turkmen gas and electricity will reach world markets, especially Europe, via Türkiye. In this direction, our colleagues will continue their work. In addition, our efforts continue to involve state companies such as TPAO and BOTAŞ in the development of hydrocarbon fields in Turkmenistan and infrastructure investments for the transportation of these resources to the western part of Turkmenistan.”
Trade and investment
The volume of trade between Türkiye and Turkmenistan reached $2.2 billion in 2024, which was noted as a strong indicator of existing cooperation. However, the parties intend to significantly increase this figure — Türkiye is striving to increase trade turnover with Turkmenistan to $ 5 billion.
Investments between the two countries have exceeded $200 million, and according to Yilmaz, mutual encouragement and protection of investments will be strengthened.
“I would like to reiterate that mutual investments will increase much more rapidly with the updating of the agreement on the mutual promotion and protection of investments”, he stressed.
According to Yilmaz, Turkish contractors have undertaken and successfully completed more than 1100 projects worth $54 billion in Turkmenistan to date. These projects include very prestigious projects such as the Olympic Complex, the Turkmenbashi Port, and the Arkadag Smart City.
Education: strengthening cultural ties
Significant attention was paid to educational cooperation during the meeting. Yilmaz said that about 30,000 Turkmen students are studying at universities in Türkiye, and work will be accelerated to increase this number.
In addition, it is planned to increase the capacity of the Turkmen-Turkish Comprehensive School to serve a larger number of students.
Development of the “Middle Corridor” and transport infrastructure
The meeting discussed the development of the “Middle Corridor”, a transport route connecting Europe and Asia. According to Yilmaz, agreements in this area will provide strategic benefits for both countries. Stressing that the development of the Middle Corridor is extremely important in the field of transport, Yilmaz said that in this context, increasing the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the opening of the Zangezur connection will make the Middle Corridor more attractive.
Nokerguly Atagulyev noted that opportunities in the field of transport and logistics were discussed at the meeting.
Prospects for cooperation
Cevdet Yilmaz stressed the importance of expanding cooperation between the public, private sector and civil society organizations to improve the well-being of the Turkish and Turkmen peoples. He assured that Türkiye, as before, will continue to support Turkmenistan on the path of its development.///nCa, 26 February 2025