Talks Between the Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan Took Place in Ashgabat
On July 1, talks and political consultations between the foreign ministers of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan took place at the diplomatic mission of Turkmenistan. The official visit of the Kazakh delegation, led by Yermek Kosherbayev, and his meeting with Rashid Meredov focused on the practical implementation of previously reached high-level agreements and strengthening the strategic partnership across Central Asia.
The main focus of the ministerial meetings was a detailed audit of trade, industrial, and transit activities. The parties analyzed current economic indicators, noting that, in the first four months of 2026, mutual trade turnover between the countries had grown by 6.8%, reaching approximately $180 million. To fulfill the instructions of the two heads of state to reach $1 billion, the foreign ministers outlined steps within the Joint Intergovernmental Commission, latest meeting of which was successfully held in Astana at the end of June.
The parties prioritized maximizing the region's transit and transport potential, developing border infrastructure, intensifying ties in the energy sector, and coordinating water-related activities, including programs under the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and Caspian issues.
In addition to the bilateral agenda, the ministers focused on integration processes and security in the region, including the development of Afghanistan. An important practical step during the visit was the official handover to the Kazakh side of the original Treaty between the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan on Friendship, Good-Neighborliness, and Cooperation for the Development of Central Asia in the 21st Century, signed by the President of Turkmenistan.
Yermek Kosherbayev also wished his Turkmen colleagues success in their work during Turkmenistan's upcoming chairmanship of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the CIS. The official visit of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Ashgabat resulted in the signing of an interdepartmental Cooperation Program for 2027–2028, which will systematize future regular contacts between diplomatic agencies, including humanitarian exchanges, partnerships in healthcare, sports, and mass media.
