On June 25 in Ashgabat, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Olexandr Mischenko held interministerial political consultations with Turkmenistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Gurbanov as part of a working visit to the Central Asian countries of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The Ukrainian side focused primarily on strengthening the partnership and intensifying practical cooperation with Turkmenistan.
Olexandr Mischenko was received by Rashid Meredov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. During the meeting, the Ukrainian delegation presented the original letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed to the National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahat of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, on the occasion of his birthday.
Olexandr Mischenko expressed gratitude to the leadership of Turkmenistan for its consistent and unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and briefed his counterparts on the current security situation in Ukraine amid ongoing Russian aggression, as well as about the Ukrainian government’s efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.
Consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries marked an important step toward resuming regular political dialogue after a long hiatus. The meeting between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, which took place in April of this year on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, provided significant momentum for the revitalization of bilateral relations. In this context, the parties discussed the possibility of a visit by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to Turkmenistan in the near future.
Also participating in the talks were Viktor Maiko, Special Representative of the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs for Central Asia and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Oleksandr Sirenko, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Ukraine in Turkmenistan.
During the consultations, significant attention was paid to the development of trade and economic cooperation, the expansion of transport and logistics cooperation, the strengthening of the legal framework, and the implementation of joint economic projects. The parties agreed to intensify preparations for the next meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Ukrainian-Turkmen Commission on Economic, Cultural, and Humanitarian Cooperation.
The parties also agreed to step up the activities of the Ukrainian-Turkmen Business Council as a platform for developing direct contacts between the business communities of both countries.
Special attention was given to involving Turkmen businesses in Ukraine’s reconstruction process.
The parties also agreed to begin drafting the Economic Cooperation Program for 2027–2030.
They separately discussed the development of transport corridors and the effective use of both countries’ transit potential along the Europe–Caucasus–Central Asia route.
Significant attention during the consultations was devoted to coordinating actions within international organizations, primarily the UN, the OSCE, and UNESCO. The parties reaffirmed their mutual interest in continuing constructive cooperation on international platforms.
The parties positively noted the momentum of cooperation in the field of education and discussed the resumption of activities by the Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine and Turkmenistan, the expansion of academic mobility, and the implementation of joint scientific and educational projects. They also emphasized the importance of developing people-to-people contacts as an integral part of strengthening bilateral relations.
As part of the visit’s program, Olexandr Mischenko and Viktor Maiko, together with representatives of the Ukrainian community in Turkmenistan, paid tribute to Taras Shevchenko and laid flowers at his monument in Ashgabat.