Turkmenistan has signed the Treaty on Friendship, Good-Neighborliness, and Cooperation for the Development of Central Asia in the 21st Century, completing another step in the five-country regional agreement during Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev’s official visit to Ashgabat, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said.
During the visit, Kosherbayev was received by Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and held talks with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov. The sides discussed political ties, trade and investment, transport and logistics, energy cooperation, and humanitarian exchanges.
The two countries also signed a cooperation program between their foreign ministries for 2027-2028.
Trade expansion was one of the key issues on the agenda. Bilateral trade turnover rose 6.8% year-on-year in January-April 2026 to around $180 million, according to the Kazakh side. Both governments reaffirmed plans to raise annual trade to $1 billion, in line with instructions from their presidents.
Kazakhstan has also signaled plans to expand non-commodity exports to Turkmenistan. At the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan business forum in Astana, the Kazakh side presented 178 export product categories with a combined potential exceeding $200 million.
The products include metallurgy, machinery, food, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, transport equipment, and construction materials.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade, bilateral turnover has more than doubled over the past five years, surpassing $530 million. Kazakh exports to Turkmenistan rose nearly 50% to $316.3 million, while imports from Turkmenistan increased fivefold to $215.8 million.
The two sides also discussed expanding trade houses, digital commerce, trade financing, and a roadmap for increasing bilateral trade.
Transport and logistics cooperation was another focus, including development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, seen as a strategic route linking Asian and European markets.
More than 100 Kazakh companies and around 40 Turkmen businesses took part in the forum. Several agreements were signed in logistics, e-commerce, investment, and business support.
