BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 15. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim described relations with Turkmenistan as friendly, amid preparations for his upcoming official visit to Ashgabat.
This was published by the press office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia in a press release issued on June 13, in connection with ongoing bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.
“Turkmenistan is a friendly country to Malaysia. The President of Turkmenistan mentioned that, if the Malaysian Prime Minister visits, they are ready to consider cooperation on one of the world’s largest gas fields and work with PETRONAS on its development,” Anwar Ibrahim said, referring to the bilateral relationship between the two nations, the press release says.
According to the report, the remarks come as Malaysia prepares to send a government delegation led by the Prime Minister to Turkmenistan, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the energy sector.
Meanwhile, according to information released by the press service of the Turkmen Government on June 13, preparations for the upcoming visit were reviewed at a Cabinet meeting, which was chaired online by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
“Turkmenistan is preparing to host an official visit by a Malaysian government delegation led by the country’s Prime Minister. Arrangements for the upcoming visit were discussed at a regular meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, which President Serdar Berdimuhamedov chaired via video conference,” the report says.
According to the report, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov reported that relations with Asia-Pacific countries, including Malaysia, remain a key priority of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy, while noting that the bilateral legal framework currently includes 43 interstate, intergovernmental, and interagency agreements.
Earlier on June 7, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced plans to visit Turkmenistan in mid-June to sign an agreement expected to provide PETRONAS with access to the Galkynysh gas field, one of the world’s largest natural gas fields.
For reference, PETRONAS has maintained a presence in Turkmenistan since July 1996, when it became the first foreign company to sign a production-sharing agreement (PSA) for offshore Block I in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. The block includes the Magtymguly, Diyarbekir, and Garagol-Deniz fields and remains one of the country’s key offshore energy assets. This year also marked two decades of cooperation between Turkmenistan and PETRONAS in the gas processing sector.
In May 2025, PETRONAS signed a new long-term agreement for Block I, extending its operations in Turkmenistan through 2050. Under the updated arrangement, the offshore project currently produces around 400 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and has access to more than 7 trillion cubic feet of gas resources.
