Gismet Gozalov: Trust and Friendship Remain the Foundation of Azerbaijani–Turkmen Relations
In 2025, the friendly, fraternal, and strategic partnership relations between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan experienced significant development, further strengthening and expanding on the principles of mutual trust and friendship.
In line with the spirit of the “Declaration on Strategic Partnership” signed in 2017, particular importance is attached to further deepening strategic cooperation between the two countries and implementing mutually beneficial initiatives in new areas. This was stated by the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan, Gismet Gozalov, in an interview with AZERTAC.
He noted that the high-level mutual visits, meetings, and events held in 2025 laid a solid foundation for further expanding cooperation across all fields, including economic, energy, transport, transit, cultural and humanitarian, and social sectors. In July this year, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, paid a visit to Baku and Karabakh, during which significant steps were taken to strengthen strategic cooperation and deepen friendship between the brotherly peoples of the two countries.
The diplomat emphasized that during the visit, a number of initiatives in the economic, energy, cultural and humanitarian, and social spheres were discussed, and new prospects for cooperation were identified:
“In August, during his visit to the city of Awaza in Turkmenistan, President Ilham Aliyev participated in a high-level trilateral meeting with the leaders of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This meeting created an important opportunity to expand regional cooperation and resulted in the signing of several key documents on mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of transport and transit.”
G. Gozalov stated that the events held in Gabala in October within the framework of the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States further strengthened relations between the leaders of the two countries. During the meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, issues related to strengthening bilateral relations, future areas of cooperation, and regional initiatives were discussed in detail.
“The laying of the foundation stone of a mosque being built in the Azerbaijani city of Fuzuli — a brother city of Arkadag in Turkmenistan — at the initiative of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov during the Gabala summit further enhanced the strategic importance of cultural and humanitarian cooperation. Azerbaijan’s admission as a full member of the Consultative Format of the Heads of State of Central Asia at the summit held in Tashkent in November 2025 added a new element to the architecture of regional cooperation.
The invitation extended by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, to the Head of the Azerbaijani state to participate in the next summit that will be held in Turkmenistan in 2026 demonstrates Turkmenistan’s open support for our country,” the ambassador emphasized.
