On August 30, a meeting was held in Ashgabat between the Turkmen and Afghan delegations. The Afghan delegation was headed by Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan Hidayatullah Badri. The Turkmen delegation included the country’s Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers. The delegations discussed partnership in key economic sectors. Turkmenistan reiterated its
On 28 August, the National Leader and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited Iran. He met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and conveyed an invitation from Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to pay an official visit to Turkmenistan. During the talks, the two leaders discussed the current state and prospects
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on August 28 launched a new country partnership strategy for Turkmenistan designed to help the Central Asian nation develop a competitive, diversified, and knowledge-based economy driven by an innovative private sector. Under the new strategy, covering 2024-2028, ADB’s assistance will focus on three strategic priorities — supporting the green transition to a
The year 2024 is marked by the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Pyragy. In the row of activities to mark the anniversary of the outstanding Turkmen classical poet, special attention is given to publication of collections of poems, research works, scientific articles, monographs, special editions,
The only mobile network operator in Turkmenistan, Altyn Asyr, has stopped selling SIM cards to clients, citing a limited capacity for new telephone numbers, RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service reported. Residents of the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, told RFE/RL that many teenagers who became eligible to purchase telephones and SIM cards after they reached 16 and obtained their
On August 12, the scientific and practical conference “The Caspian Sea: Cooperation for Sustainable Development” dedicated to the Caspian Sea Day was held in the Avaza National Tourist Zone in Turkmenistan. The conference was attended by heads and representatives of relevant ministries and departments of Turkmenistan, heads of diplomatic missions of foreign states, experts of
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Turkmenistan, as part of the Country Component for Turkmenistan of the regional project “Promoting Resilient Communities to Prevent Violent Extremism in Central Asia,” hosted a series of mentoring trainings for youth on the fundamentals of sustainable agriculture. These trainings, held from July 22 to July 30, 2024, in the
Elizabeth Rood was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to Turkmenistan on July 15 and presented her credentials to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on July 31. According to the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan, Ambassador Rood looks forward to strengthening the partnership, rooted in government and people-to-people ties, between the United States and Turkmenistan during her tenure. Ambassador
Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on July 31 in Ashgabat met with the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye, Alparslan Bayraktar. During the meeting, the Turkmen president said that Turkmenistan is ready to continue cooperation with Türkiye in the energy sector, particularly in the transportation of Turkmen natural gas to Türkiye and on to
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres held a meeting on July 6 in Ashgabat with the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and attended the opening ceremony of the new UN Office building in the Turkmen capital. The Turkmen president emphasized that this visit is regarded as a qualitatively new stage of interaction to
The Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on 6 July signed several strategic agreements aimed at strengthening and advancing a long-term partnership in achieving national development priorities, UNDP Turkmenistan reported. More specifically, UNDP and the Government of Turkmenistan have launched new initiatives to support the country in accelerating progress towards the
The U.S. Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) Band arrived in Ashgabat on June 28 as part of a five-day visit to Turkmenistan. During their visit, AFCENT musicians taught a master class at the Maya Kuliyeva Turkmen National Conservatory, gave a short performance for children with disabilities, and drew a crowd of over 1,000 at a
On July 4, a monument to the great Turkmen poet and thinker Magtymguly Pyragy (1724-1807) was unveiled in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. The opening ceremony was attended by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Maulen Ashimbayev, and
Turkmenistan and Iran signed a contract on July 3 for the delivery of 10 billion cubic meters of Turkmen natural gas per year, which Iran will then ship to Iraq, RFE/RL reported. Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry announced the deal but did not say what price Iran would pay for the gas. The ministry’s statement said Iranian
On June 20, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate in strengthening the country’s education system and promoting sustainable development practices, UNDP Turkmenistan reported. The MOU establishes a framework for collaboration between UNDP and the Ministry of Education to improve the
Participants in the first Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program in Turkmenistan pitched their business ideas to a panel of business experts in Ashgabat. The event on June 8 marked the conclusion of the AWE program, launched in March this year and implemented in Turkmenistan by the U.S. Embassy in partnership with the country’s Union of
The eleventh round of the annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) took place in Brussels on June 5. The meeting was held at the level of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the five Central Asian countries
On June 3, a symposium dedicated to cooperation in higher education between Korea and Central Asian countries was held in South Korea. The event was organized by the Secretariat of the Central Asia–Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum. Opening the symposium, Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Central Asia-Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum, Rhee Jong
China and five Central Asian nations have officially established a China-Central Asia emergency management cooperation mechanism, Xinhua reported. China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the mechanism during a ministerial meeting in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, last week. The six
From May 17 to 18, an International Conference at the level of ministers of culture of foreign countries, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Turkmen poet and thinker of the East Magtymguly Fragi (Pyragy) was held in Ashgabat. The conference was attended by leaders and representatives of authoritative international organizations, including
