Turkmenistan International Affairs - The Times Of Central Asia

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Electronic Information Exchange Systems to Be Introduced in Turkmenistan’s Agencies

The Türkmenaragatnaşyk Agency and UNDP (United Nations Development Program) have signed an agreement to assist the introduction of an inter-agency electronic information exchange system in Turkmenistan in accordance with the decree of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as reported by Arzuw.news. "The document provides for the connection of Turkmenistan's agencies to the systems of electronic information exchange and electronic document management, as well as training of specialized staff in this area, taking into account international experience," the report states. The President of Turkmenistan stressed that the country is currently actively working on digitization in various spheres of life in the state. At the meeting of the Government of Turkmenistan, Director General of the Agency of Transport and Communications, Mammetkhan Chakyev presented for consideration projects on introduction of electronic information exchange systems in the country's agencies.

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Turkmen Gas To Be Supplied To Turkey Via Azerbaijan And Georgia

An agreement has been reached on the transportation of natural gas from Turkmenistan to Turkey via Azerbaijan and Georgia. This deal was announced by Turkey's minister of energy and natural resources Alparslan Bayraktar. Chronicles of Turkmenistan report that Bayraktar met with Azerbaijani economy minister Mikail Jabbarov in Istanbul on May 14, after which the parties signed an agreement on increasing the capacity of several gas pipelines. Turkey's energy ministry said the deal would ensure that additional gas volumes from Azerbaijan and the Caspian region would be delivered to Turkey and Europe by 2030, although the exact volumes have yet to be announced. Bayraktar did not explain how the gas would be delivered from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan. There is currently no progress in the construction of a trans-Caspian gas pipeline, which would allow direct deliveries of raw materials. It is most probably a swap scheme of supplies through Iran -- this is how Turkmenistan exported gas to Azerbaijan from 2022 to 2024. However, in January 2024, exports were suspended because Ashgabat and Baku failed to agree on the volume and price of gas. Since then, neither side has reported resumption of supplies. Some experts believe that Azerbaijan re-exported Turkmen gas to Europe, mixing it with its own, and the reason for the cessation of purchases was the decline in gas prices on the European market, which made its resale unprofitable for Baku.

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EU’s Central Asia Representative Reaffirms the Union’s Commitment to the Region

Teri Hakala, Special Representative of the European Union for Central Asia, has recently spoken about the EU's goals for its presence in the Central Asian region, and plans for the coming years. Speaking at the conference, "Turkmenistan and the EU: 30 years of cooperation", Ms Hakala said: "The EU has a very strong presence in the Central Asian region. And our goal is to contribute to the development and welfare of these countries and sustainability. In the next 30 years we plan to continue our work in Turkmenistan and in other Central Asian countries, partners, for the benefit of these countries and the EU." She also spoke about the EU-Central Asia Transport Investment Forum, which was held in Brussels earlier this year. "In January, the EU organized an investment forum and in March too there were discussions about our commitment and obligations related to the allocation of $10 billion from the EU for the Trans-Caspian Corridor project, which will help to expand trade relations, to include more and more people in their activities. This will contribute to the expansion of not only the transport corridor, but also the energy corridor," Ms Hakala added. The Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor is a route connecting Europe and Central Asia. It is expected that once complete, cargo will be delivered along it in just 15 days.

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UNDP Launches Project in Turkmenistan to Help Women and Young People Find Jobs

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Turkmenistan, in partnership with the UNDP Knowledge Project, is joining the global FutureSkills4All initiative to increase employment opportunities for women and young people in the country. According to Turkmenportal, this initiative will involve at least 660 people from Turkmenistan. They will have access to the cutting-edge online learning platform Coursera, where they will be able to complete various training programs to acquire in-demand professional skills. In addition to accessing online courses, learners will also receive guidance and mentoring from local experts, to help them acquire interpersonal skills, such as resilience.

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Outcome of First Turkmenistan- UN Strategic Advisory Council Meeting

On May 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan hosted the first meeting of the Turkmenistan-UN Strategic Advisory Council. In addition to its approval of a Roadmap for the development of a new Framework Program for Cooperation in the Field of Sustainable Development between Turkmenistan and the UN for 2026-2030, the council discussed projects concerning youth policy, digitalization, demography, green energy, and climate change. Following the meeting, delegates signed official agreements on several projects. The Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO) pledged their commitment to ‘Enhancing capacities for climate-resilient water management’; the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkmenistan and UN FAO, on ‘Developing digital solutions for sustainable pasture management’; and the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan and UN FAO, on ‘Development of the aquafeed value chain and aquatic animal health management capacity’. The Government of Turkmenistan and the UN Development Program also signed an agreement on the procurement of products for the control of infectious diseases in 2024-2025 for the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan.

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Turkmenistan’s Gas and Türkiye’s Plans to Become a Gas Hub

By Robert M. Cutler A series of ongoing political consultations between Turkmenistan and Türkiye continued on 25–26 April, as a Turkmen delegation led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Gurbanov visited Ankara, hosted by Turkish counterpart Burak Akçapar. Beyond the regular bilateral agenda of political-diplomatic, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian cooperation, the two sides emphasized the implementation of bilateral agreements reached at the third Antalya Diplomatic Forum in early March, particularly the prospects for cooperation in the energy sector. On 1 March 2024, Turkmenistan and Türkiye signed two documents — a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a letter of intent — aimed at strengthening cooperation in the natural gas sector. In theory, this seems to be a positive development for the two countries as well as for Europe. The two possible routes for Turkmen gas to reach Türkiye and Europe are (1) via the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan, and (2) through Iran's existing pipeline infrastructure via a gas swap agreement. Neither one is likely to happen soon. The project to export Turkmen gas to Europe through a shore-to-shore high volume pipeline, at 31 billion cubic meters per year (bcm/y) is no longer alive after various parties have failed to realize it over the past quarter-century. It was bruited when it was announced that Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov planned to visit Brussels in late 2023 (which ended up not happening) and definitively killed when the initiative by American company Trans-Caspian Resources (headed by a retired U.S. ambassador to Turkmenistan) failed to persuade Ashgabat to construct short low-volume (8–11 bcm/y) "Platform Option" pipeline in the Caspian Sea. Gas "swaps" and Türkiye’s ambitions The idea of a "Turkish gas hub" arose from Russia's search to depoliticize trade between Gazprom and European firms by facilitating a platform where Gazprom's origination of the gas would be obscured and anonymized. Buyers and sellers could meet through Turkish intermediation. Türkiye, however, seeks to draw advantage by imposing the condition of long-term contracts with Gazprom for gas sales at below-market prices. This would guarantee a role for the Turkish intermediaries and, moreover, ensure for them a profit margin through mandatory service fees. "Swap" operations mean an exchange of gas amongst Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan; however, this would involve only a few billion cubic meters. Even if all participants agree, several questions still remain: Will swap transactions be profitable, given the price of gas in Europe? Even if Iran agreed to a Turkmen gas swap, would Tehran execute the agreement in good faith? In fact, Tehran would prefer to offer its own gas to Turkish and European markets, rather than transit competitive Turkmen gas through his territory. In addition, the gas that Azerbaijan produces for export already has contracted buyers under long-term agreements. Azerbaijan would be interested in the Turkish gas hub only if it should in future produce surpluses of gas that cannot be sold under long-term contracts. Then, such surpluses could be sold at a gas hub under short-term contracts, assuming that transit and profitability are...