Turkish Ambassador to Turkmenistan Expresses Turkey's Desire to See Turkmenistan as Full Member of OTS
Turkish Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ahmet Demirok expressed Turkey's desire to see Turkmenistan as a full member of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA). In an interview with AA, Demirok emphasized the importance of Turkmenistan for the Turkic world and expressed confidence that the country's accession to these organizations will strengthen cooperation among the Turkic states.
Demirok noted that Turkey was the first country to recognize Turkmenistan's independence and open an embassy in Ashgabat, and that relations between the countries continue to develop based on common history, culture and economic interests. According to him, Turkey remains one of Turkmenistan's largest trading partners, with the total trade volume between the countries amounting to $2.6 billion in 2023. The Turkish side is confident that this figure could increase to $5 billion in the coming years.
Particular attention was paid to cooperation in the energy sector. In March 2024, Turkey and Turkmenistan signed several important agreements to develop partnerships in the field of natural gas and hydrocarbon resources. Demirok noted that Turkey is actively working to create infrastructure for transporting Turkmen natural gas to Europe, which is one of the key topics in relations between the two countries.
The ambassador also emphasized Turkmenistan's strategic importance for transport routes, especially within the Middle Corridor connecting China with Europe via the Caspian Sea. According to him, Turkmenistan plays an important role in connecting East and West, as well as North and South, and its logistics strategy is in line with China's Belt and Road Initiative.
In conclusion, Demirok expressed confidence that further cooperation between Turkey and Turkmenistan will benefit both sides and will be an important step in strengthening the Turkic world.
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