BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 1. Turkmenistan and the European Union discussed bilateral trade and transport cooperation.
This was reflected in a statement published by the Mejlis (Parliament) of Turkmenistan following a meeting between Speaker Dunyagozel Gulmanova and EU Ambassador to Turkmenistan Beata Pęksa.
According to the press release, the sides highlighted cooperation in trade, energy, sustainable development, transport corridors, science, education and environmental protection. They also emphasized the role of the Turkmenistan-EU interparliamentary dialogue in strengthening bilateral ties.
"It was noted that the established cooperation in such areas as sustainable development, energy, ecology, science and education, the creation of transport corridors and strengthening trade and economic relations are fruitful," the report says.
The participants also underlined the regional importance of the Central Asia-European Union format in advancing sustainable development goals, the Mejlis notes.
Pęksa praised Turkmenistan's cooperation with international partners and noted the country's engagement in areas including environmental protection, climate change, digitalization, water resources and the rule of law, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, 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.
