BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 12. Turkmenistan and the European Union have discussed current areas of cooperation and outlined further steps to strengthen bilateral ties.
This was announced in a report published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan following a meeting between Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and EU Ambassador to Turkmenistan Beata Pęksa held on June 11.
"On 11 June 2026, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, and the Ambassador of the European Union to Turkmenistan, Beata Peksa," the ministry said.
According to the report, the discussions focused on strengthening partnerships in the political and diplomatic, trade and economic, as well as cultural and humanitarian spheres
"During the meeting, the parties discussed current issues of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the European Union and outlined further steps to strengthen bilateral partnership in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic, as well as cultural and humanitarian spheres," the ministry said.
For reference, relations between Turkmenistan and the European Union are currently governed by an Interim Agreement on Trade and Trade-related Matters, which entered into force in 2010. A broader Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), signed in 1998, has not yet been fully ratified by the European Parliament, making Turkmenistan the only Central Asian country without a fully implemented partnership agreement with the EU.
In recent years, cooperation has increasingly focused on transport connectivity, trade facilitation, energy, education, climate policy, and economic diversification. The EU's engagement with Turkmenistan is carried out within the framework of the 2019 EU Strategy for Central Asia and the Global Gateway initiative. The EU has allocated 18 million euros for bilateral cooperation with Turkmenistan under its 2021-2027 programme.
Transport and logistics have become one of the key areas of cooperation. Brussels views Turkmenistan as an important participant in the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor connecting Central Asia and Europe. In March 2025, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela visited Ashgabat and reaffirmed EU support for the corridor's development as part of the Global Gateway strategy.
