BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 29. Turkmenistan and South Korea discussed expanding customs cooperation to strengthen border protection of intellectual property rights.
This was reflected in a press release published by the press service of the Turkmen government on June 29 following a videoconference between representatives of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan and the Korea Customs Service.
According to the government, the talks focused on a draft Memorandum of Understanding on border protection of intellectual property rights. The document is intended to "create a legal framework for cooperation in ensuring the lawful cross-border movement of goods and protecting the economic interests of the two countries."
The meeting was held as part of preparations for the first Korea-Central Asia Summit, scheduled to take place in Seoul in September, the report says.
According to the press release, the parties also reviewed earlier customs cooperation, including agreements reached during a ministerial meeting in Busan in 2018.
They also recalled joint training programs on customs risk management and customs valuation held in 2019, the report added.
According to the government, the sides reaffirmed their intention to finalize the memorandum in the near future so that it can be signed during the upcoming summit.
Meanwhile, South Korea has become one of Turkmenistan's key partners in developing the country's shipbuilding industry. Since 2023, the Balkan Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Yard has been cooperating with South Korea's Koryo Shipbuilding Industry Technology (KSIT) on the design and construction of two 6,100-deadweight-ton dry cargo vessels, while Korean engineers have trained local specialists and transferred shipbuilding technologies.
The first vessel, Gadamly, entered service in 2026 as Turkmenistan's first domestically built dry cargo ship, and a second vessel, Menzil, is expected to follow, highlighting the growing role of South Korean expertise in modernizing Turkmenistan's maritime and logistics infrastructure.
