BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 10. President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov received newly appointed European Union Ambassador Luc Pierre Devigne and discussed prospects for further strengthening bilateral relations.
This was reflected in a statement published by the Turkmen government on September 10.
According to the statement, in the course of the meeting, Berdimuhamedov stated that Turkmenistan attaches great importance to cooperation with the European Union, describing it as “one of the country's important international partners.”
"The sides discussed further development of political dialogue, exchanges on regional and international issues of mutual interest, as well as cooperation in education, science and culture. The ambassador conveyed greetings from European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and expressed readiness to further strengthen EU-Turkmenistan relations," the statement noted.
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.
