India appoints new Ambassador to Turkmenistan: profile
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India has announced the appointment of Bandaru Wilsonbabu as new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Turkmenistan. The new head of the diplomatic mission is expected to assume his duties in the near future.
Bandaru Wilsonbabu is an experienced diplomat who started his career in 2004. He has extensive experience in the CIS and Central Asian countries. In particular, he held diplomatic posts at the Indian Embassies in Moscow (2006-2007) and Dushanbe (2007-2010). The Ambassador's knowledge of Russian will be an additional advantage for strengthening the bilateral and multilateral dialogue. Prior to his current appointment, he served as India's Ambassador to Madagascar.
The appointment of the new ambassador takes place against the background of the active development of bilateral relations between India and Turkmenistan. The two countries have long-standing historical and cultural ties, and today they are focused on strengthening strategic partnerships in key areas.
One of the most important areas of cooperation is the implementation of the largest regional project, the Turkmenistan—Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. Recent high-level talks indicate the intensification of work on this project, which is of great importance for the energy security of the region.
In addition, the two countries are actively cooperating within the framework of transport and logistics corridors, such as the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), to which Turkmenistan joined in 2023. This route promotes trade and strengthens ties between Central and South Asia.
Cooperation is also actively developing in the fields of culture and education. So, in May 2024, as part of the celebrations dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Turkmen poet Magtymguly Fragi, a bust of the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore was installed in Ashgabat, which became a landmark event in the relations between the two countries.
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