BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 17. Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan discussed regional cooperation and their role as a transport and transit bridge connecting Europe and Asia.
The issues were discussed during a meeting between Azerbaijani and Turkmen Ambassadors to Belgium, Mahammad Ahmadzada and Sapar Palvanov, according to Palvanov's social media post.
The sides discussed Turkmen-Azerbaijani relations, regional cooperation, Azerbaijan's participation in the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the region's growing engagement with the European Union.
“We had a warm and substantive exchange on Turkmen-Azerbaijani relations, regional cooperation, Azerbaijan’s participation in the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia, and the growing engagement of our region with the European Union,” Palvanov said.
Meanwhile, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have been strengthening their bilateral partnership, with transport, trade, energy and Caspian Sea cooperation forming important areas of interaction. The two countries have also been expanding practical cooperation between their ports and transport authorities, including efforts to increase cargo flows and improve multimodal connections across the Caspian Sea. In January 2026, the heads of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport and Baku International Sea Port discussed increasing cargo traffic, developing the Middle Corridor and expanding transport links between the two countries. The sides also considered the Caspian Sea-Black Sea route connecting Turkmenbashi, Baku, Poti, Batumi and Constanta.
Maritime cooperation has gained an additional dimension through the development of the two countries' merchant fleets. In May 2026, Turkmenistan commissioned the dry cargo vessel “Gadamly”, built at the Balkan Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Yard in Turkmenbashi. The vessel has a cargo capacity of 6,100 tons and can carry up to 240 containers, and it arrived at the Baku International Sea Trade Port on May 12, where it was officially welcomed by representatives of the two countries' transport and logistics sectors. The arrival of “Gadamly” provided a practical example of the growing maritime interaction between the two sides and its role in cargo transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
The maritime relationship has also developed in the opposite direction, with Azerbaijan contributing to the modernization of Turkmenistan's fleet. On June 22, 2026, Azerbaijan presented the “Dostlug” oil tanker to Turkmenistan in a ceremony attended online by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Built at Baku Shipyard, the 141-meter tanker has a deadweight of 7,875 tons and was transferred to Turkmenistan as a gift from Azerbaijan. The two vessels - Turkmenistan's “Gadamly” operating on the route to Baku and Azerbaijan's “Dostlug” joining the Turkmen fleet - illustrate the growing practical dimension of bilateral maritime cooperation. At the broader transport level, the countries have also supported the development of East-West and Caspian-Black Sea routes, seeking to strengthen their roles in connecting Central Asia with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye and European markets.
