Foreign relations of Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan's declaration of "permanent neutrality" was formally recognized by the United Nations in 1995. Former President Niyazov stated that the neutrality would prevent Turkmenistan from participating in multi-national defense organizations, but allows military assistance. Its neutral foreign policy has an important place in the country's constitution. Although the Government of Turkmenistan claims to favour trade with and export to the United States, and Turkey, its single largest commercial partner is China, which buys the vast bulk of Turkmen natural gas via the Central Asia–China gas pipeline. Turkmenistan has significant commercial relationships with Russia and Iran and growing cross-border trade with Afghanistan. The Government of Turkmenistan often appears to use the conflicting interests of these regional powers as a means to extract concessions, especially on energy issues.

International disputes

Signing of the Caspian Sea convention in 2018 brought only partial resolution of boundary disputes in the Caspian. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have disputes over water-sharing. Turkmenistan shares a long border with Afghanistan, a principal producer of heroin and opium. As a result, a large volume of narcotics are trafficked through Turkmenistan on their way to lucrative markets in Europe and Russia.

Natural resources

Turkmenistan is rich in natural gas, and currently sells most of its gas to China. Turkmenistan unilaterally cut off exports of pipeline natural gas to Iran in 2017 over a payment arrears dispute. Russia ceased buying gas from Turkmenistan in 2016, but resumed small purchases of pipeline gas in 2019. Afghanistan buys liquid petroleum gas, shipped by rail to Ymamnazar and Torghundi for onward delivery by truck. Pakistan provides Turkmenistan warm water as well as Iran and Russia.

Turkmenistan is a partner country of the EU INOGATE energy programme, which has four key topics: enhancing energy security, convergence of member state energy markets on the basis of EU internal energy market principles, supporting sustainable energy development, and attracting investment for energy projects of common and regional interest.

Organisations

Turkmenistan is a member of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Islamic Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Organization of Turkic Culture.

Turkmenistan maintains permanent representatives to the United Nations offices in New York City, Vienna, and Geneva.

The United Nations maintains a permanent representation staffed by a resident coordinator along with representatives of some UN agencies in Ashgabat. The Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and European Union have missions in Ashgabat, as well.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Turkmenistan maintains diplomatic relations with:

# Country Date
1 China 6 January 1992
2 North Korea 10 January 1992
3 Denmark 21 January 1992
4 United Kingdom 23 January 1992
5 South Korea 7 February 1992
6 Iran 18 February 1992
7 Afghanistan 21 February 1992
8 Saudi Arabia 22 February 1992
9 Bangladesh 28 February 1992
10 Turkey 29 February 1992
11 France 6 March 1992
12 Germany 6 March 1992
13 Spain 19 March 1992
14 Cuba 23 March 1992
15 Syria 26 March 1992
16 Mexico 27 March 1992
17 Russia 8 April 1992
18 Sweden 10 April 1992
19 United States 10 April 1992
20 Canada 17 April 1992
State of Palestine 17 April 1992
21 India 20 April 1992
22 Japan 22 April 1992
23 Mongolia 23 April 1992
24 Pakistan 9 May 1992
25 Hungary 11 May 1992
26 South Africa 11 May 1992
27 Australia 14 May 1992
28 Malaysia 17 May 1992
29 Bulgaria 20 May 1992
30 Netherlands 20 May 1992
31 Oman 29 May 1992
32 Norway 8 June 1992
33 Azerbaijan 9 June 1992
34 Italy 9 June 1992
35 Finland 10 June 1992
36 Greece 10 June 1992
37 Thailand 6 July 1992
38 Switzerland 13 July 1992
39 Georgia 16 July 1992
40 Lithuania 21 July 1992
41 Romania 21 July 1992
42 Vietnam 29 July 1992
43 Portugal 13 August 1992
44 New Zealand 8 September 1992
45 Ghana 17 September 1992
46 Argentina 24 September 1992
47 Maldives 25 September 1992
48 Morocco 25 September 1992
49 Poland 29 September 1992
50 Luxembourg 2 October 1992
51 Kazakhstan 5 October 1992
52 Kyrgyzstan 5 October 1992
53 Moldova 5 October 1992
54 Armenia 9 October 1992
55 Ukraine 10 October 1992
56 Austria 16 October 1992
57 Mali 16 November 1992
58 Tunisia 30 November 1992
59 Equatorial Guinea 8 December 1992
60 Libya 8 December 1992
61 Indonesia 10 December 1992
62 Slovakia 1 January 1993
63 Latvia 13 January 1993
64 Belarus 21 January 1993
65 Tajikistan 27 January 1993
66 Czech Republic 31 January 1993
67 Belgium 1 February 1993
68 Egypt 3 February 1993
69 Uzbekistan 7 February 1993
70 Jordan 18 February 1993
71 Malta 25 February 1993
72 Lebanon 6 May 1993
73 Philippines 23 July 1993
74 Israel 8 October 1993
75 Slovenia 11 November 1993
76 Zambia 2 December 1993
77 Laos 4 February 1994
78 Albania 24 March 1994
79 Chile 27 July 1994
80 Estonia 26 August 1994
81 Algeria 21 September 1994
82 Chad 4 October 1994
83 Kuwait 13 January 1995
84 Yemen 27 February 1995
85 Cambodia 6 April 1995
86 United Arab Emirates 10 October 1995
87 Madagascar 1 December 1995
88 Bahrain 15 December 1995
89 Brazil 3 April 1996
90 Sri Lanka 18 April 1996
91 Venezuela 30 April 1996
92 Bosnia and Herzegovina 17 June 1996
93 North Macedonia 21 June 1996
94 Croatia 2 July 1996
95 Bolivia 9 July 1996
Holy See 10 July 1996
96 Jamaica 16 July 1996
97 Uruguay 16 July 1996
98 Guatemala 22 August 1996
99 Serbia 26 August 1996
100 Colombia 27 August 1996
101 Nicaragua 29 August 1996
102 Belize 11 September 1996
103 Singapore 12 September 1996
104 Marshall Islands 8 October 1996
105 Mozambique 22 November 1996
106 Qatar 22 November 1996
107 Iceland 13 February 1997
108 Peru 7 May 1997
109 Ecuador 11 June 1997
110 Guyana 11 June 1997
111 Angola 18 June 1997
112 Mauritius 2 July 1997
113 Malawi 20 February 1998
114 Brunei 22 February 1999
115 Zimbabwe 22 March 1999
116 El Salvador 20 May 1999
117 Suriname 25 June 1999
118 Uganda 5 August 1999
119 Myanmar 26 August 1999
120 Nepal 17 October 2005
121 Ireland 16 October 2007
Sovereign Military Order of Malta 30 October 2007
122 Cyprus 13 November 2007
123 Andorra 17 April 2008
124 Montenegro 26 November 2008
125 Dominican Republic 9 February 2009
126 Iraq 31 July 2009
127 South Sudan 17 August 2012
128 Gambia 8 December 2012
129 Fiji 2 May 2014
130 Senegal 25 September 2014
131 Togo 25 September 2014
132 Panama 24 July 2015
133 Sudan 17 August 2015
134 Monaco 27 August 2015
135 Ethiopia 11 November 2015
136 Burundi 12 December 2015
137 Burkina Faso 12 March 2016
138 Bahamas 7 October 2016
139 Dominica 13 October 2016
140 Saint Kitts and Nevis 31 May 2017
141 Djibouti 4 July 2017
142 Paraguay 28 July 2017
143 Benin 26 July 2018
144 Somalia 4 November 2019
145 Grenada 13 February 2020
146 Sierra Leone 15 June 2020
147 Republic of the Congo 21 May 2021
148 Niger 22 June 2021
149 Kenya 15 March 2023
150 Trinidad and Tobago 21 June 2023

Bilateral relations

Country Formal Relations Began Notes
Afghanistan 21 February 1992

See Afghanistan–Turkmenistan relations

Afghanistan has an embassy in Ashgabat and a consulate in Mary. Turkmenistan has an embassy in Kabul plus consulates in Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif. The rise of India as an economic giant and its increasing energy needs make Turkmenistan and Central Asia energy markets of choice for that country and also China. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline (TAPI) has been one of the most important regional initiatives to be undertaken by these countries. The agreement to build the pipeline to transport Turkmen gas to Afghanistan and Pakistan and beyond to India was signed in 2010. In addition, Afghanistan depends on Turkmenistan for meeting a large part of the country's electricity needs. At present, Afghanistan imports more than 320 million kilowatt hours of electricity every year from Turkmenistan.

In 2011, Turkmenistan agreed to build a 150-km extension to a railway line to connect the rail line to Serhetabat to Andkhoy in Faryab province, Afghanistan. In February 2018, the existing rail line between Serhetabat and Torghundi in Afghanistan was restored to service. This line is planned to be extended to Herat, where it could potentially connect to a rail line under construction from Khaf, Iran. The line to Andkhoy went into service in January 2021.

In 2013, work began on a link from Kerki via Ymamnazar on the Turkmen-Afghan border to Aqina in Andkhoy District. This link was opened in November 2016. It was extended 38 km to Andkhoy in January 2021, and is intended eventually to become part of a railway corridor through northern Afghanistan, linking it via Sherkhan Bandar, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz to Tajikistan.

As of 1 April 2011, there were 44 enterprises with Afghan assets in Turkmenistan.

Though Turkmenistan has not recognized the Taliban's state, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, it has facilitated the Taliban's appointment of diplomats to the Afghan Embassy in Ashgabat. The current chargé d'affaires is Fazal Muhammad Sabir, appointed in March 2022.

Albania 24 March 1994

Both countries established diplomatic relations on March 24, 1994.

Armenia 9 October 1992 See Armenia–Turkmenistan relations
Austria 16 October 1992 See Austria–Turkmenistan relations

Turkmenistan has an embassy in Vienna, which doubles as the permanent mission to United Nations agencies in Vienna.

Azerbaijan 9 June 1992

The two countries have embassies in each other's capitals. Despite close linguistic affinities (Turkmen and Azerbaijani are about 65 percent mutually intelligible), Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan suffer from a strained relationship, in part because Turkmenistan is majority Sunni and Azerbaijan is majority Shi'a. Nonetheless the two countries have begun to cooperate more in commercial spheres, most notably with signing of a memorandum in 2020 on joint exploitation of the cross-boundary Serdar oil field in the Caspian.

Belarus 21 January 1993 See Belarus–Turkmenistan relations
  • Formal relations were established in 1993
  • Belarus has an embassy in Ashgabat.
  • Turkmenistan has an embassy in Minsk.

Roughly 12,000 to 13,000 Turkmen university students are matriculated annually in Belarusian institutions of higher education.

Belize 11 September 1996

The countries established diplomatic relations on 11 September 1996.

Cambodia 6 April 1995

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 April 1995.

China 6 January 1992 See China-Turkmenistan relations

The two countries have embassies in each other's capitals. The relationship is dominated by China's position as the largest importer by far of natural gas from Turkmenistan, making China Turkmenistan's largest source of foreign exchange earnings. China offers free higher education to several hundred Turkmen students each year.

Croatia 2 July 1996 See Croatia–Turkmenistan relations
Djibouti 4 July 2017

The countries established diplomatic relations on July 4, 2017.

Dominica 13 October 2016

Both countries established diplomatic relations on October 13, 2016.

France 6 March 1992 See France–Turkmenistan relations

Diplomatic relations were established with the March 6, 1992 signing of the Protocol. Turkmenistan has an embassy in Paris and France has an embassy in Ashgabat. The French construction company Bouygues, the second-largest in Turkmenistan, has signed many construction contracts. The French company Thales Alenia Space constructed the first space satellite TürkmenÄlem 52°E / MonacoSAT.

Georgia 8 July 1992

Georgia has an embassy in Ashgabat, and Turkmenistan has an embassy in Tbilisi.

Germany 6 March 1992

The two countries have embassies in each other's capitals. Turkmenistan have a consulate in Frankfurt am Main. Two German banks, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, have offices in Ashgabat, since much of Turkmenistan's foreign exchange accounts are held in those two German banks. Such German firms as Siemens and Claas have made significant sales of medical and agricultural equipment, respectively, to Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan Air offers scheduled service to Frankfurt am Main.

Guyana 11 June 1997

Both countries established diplomatic relations on June 11, 1997.

Holy See 10 July 1996

The Vatican maintains a nunciature in Ashgabat, although the nuncio is resident in Ankara. The Turkmen ambassador in Rome is multiple-accredited, including to the Holy See.

Iceland 13 February 1997

Both countries established diplomatic relations on February 13, 1997.

India 20 April 1992 See India-Turkmenistan relations

India and Turkmenistan have embassies in each other's capitals. Turkmenistan Airlines operates flights between Ashgabat and both New Delhi and Amritsar, which connect in Ashgabat to flights to London and Birmingham. India is a destination for medical tourism by middle-class Turkmen. To some degree the relationship is framed by Turkmenistan's desire to export natural gas to India via the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline.

Iran 18 February 1992 See Iran–Turkmenistan relations

Iran and Turkmenistan have had relations since Turkmenistan's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Iran has an embassy in Ashgabat and a consulate in Mary. Turkmenistan has an embassy in Teheran and a consulate in Mashhad. Iran was the second nation to recognize Turkmenistan as an independent nation. Since then, the two countries have cooperated in the economic, infrastructure, and energy sectors. The $139 million Korpeje-Kurt Kui gas pipeline in western Turkmenistan and the $167 million Dostluk ("friendship" in Turkmen) Dam in the south of the country were built through a joint venture. The Caspian Sea territorial boundaries are a cause of tension between the two. Iran's Islamic theocracy and Turkmenistan's secular dictatorship also prevent the development of a closer friendship.

Israel 8 October 1993

Israel has an embassy in Ashgabat.

Italy 9 June 1992

Italy and Turkmenistan have embassies in each other's capitals. The Turkmen ambassador in Rome is also accredited to the United Nations agencies there, and to the Holy See. The relationship is dominated by the presence of Italian petroleum firm Eni, which operates oil wells in the Caspian Sea under a production sharing agreement.

Japan 22 April 1992

Diplomatic relations between Japan and Turkmenistan were established in April 1992. Japan opened an embassy at Ashgabat in January 2005, and Turkmenistan opened an embassy in Tokyo in May 2013. Japan is heavily involved in operation of the Oguz Han Engineering Technology University in Ashgabat. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation has financed several major industrial projects in Turkmenistan, including plants constructed with participation of Kawasaki and Sumitomo.

Kazakhstan 5 October 1992
  • Kazakhstan has an embassy in Ashgabat and a consulate in Turkmenbashy.
  • Turkmenistan has an embassy in Astana and a consulate in Aktau.
Kyrgyzstan 5 October 1992 See Kyrgyzstan-Turkmenistan relations

The two countries have embassies in each other's capitals.

Libya 8 December 1992

Libya maintains an economic and commercial office rather than an embassy in Ashgabat.

Malaysia 17 May 1992 See Malaysia-Turkmenistan relations

Turkmen-Malaysian relations mainly revolve around the work of the Malaysian state petroleum corporation, Petronas, which extracts petroleum condensate in the Caspian Sea. Turkmenistan Airlines offers scheduled service between Ashgabat and Kuala Lumpur.

Mexico 27 March 1992
  • Mexico is accredited to Turkmenistan from its embassy in Ankara, Turkey.
  • Turkmenistan is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States.
North Macedonia 21 June 1996

The countries established diplomatic relations on June 21, 1996.

Pakistan 10 May 1992 See Pakistan–Turkmenistan relations
  • Formal relations were established on May 10, 1992. The countries have embassies in each other's capitals.
  • To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence in 2001 Pakistan issued stamps bearing the flag of Turkmenistan.
Palestine 17 April 1992
  • Palestine has an embassy in Ashgabat.
Poland 29 September 1992 See Poland–Turkmenistan relations
Qatar 22 November 1996

Qatar has an embassy in Ashgabat. Turkmenistan has no permanent diplomatic representation in Doha

Romania 21 July 1992

The two countries have embassies in each other's capitals. Romania's primary interest is development of the Lapis Lazuli corridor, which would use Romanian seaports on the Black Sea.

Russia 8 April 1992 See Russia–Turkmenistan relations
Saudi Arabia 22 February 1992

Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Ashgabat, and Turkmenistan has an embassy in Riyadh.

South Korea 7 February 1992

Diplomatic relations were established on February 7, 1992. The countries have embassies in each other's capitals. South Korean firms such as Hyundai and LG have won major contracts for building industrial plants.

Spain 19 March 1992
  • Spain is accredited to Turkmenistan from its embassy in Moscow, Russia.
  • Turkmenistan is accredited to Spain from its embassy in Moscow, Russia.
Suriname 25 June 1999

The countries established diplomatic relations on June 25, 1999.

Sweden 10 April 1992 Both countries established diplomatic relations on April 10, 1992.
Switzerland 13 July 1992

Turkmenistan maintains a diplomatic mission in Geneva, which doubles as its embassy to Switzerland and is permanent representative to United Nations agencies in Geneva as well as to the World Trade Organization. The Swiss ambassador in Baku is accredited to Turkmenistan.

Tajikistan 27 January 1993

The two countries have embassies in each other's capitals.

Turkey 29 February 1992 See Turkey–Turkmenistan relations
Ukraine 10 October 1992

Ukraine and Turkmenistan have embassies in each other's capitals. Ukrainian companies have been involved in major construction projects, including the rail and automobile bridges across the Amu Darya at Türkmenabat.

United Arab Emirates 10 October 1995

The countries have embassies in each other's capitals. In addition, Turkmenistan has a consulate in Dubai. The Emirates are a major entrepot for imports of foodstuffs and consumer items into Turkmenistan. In addition, one of three oil-drilling concessions in the Caspian Sea is held by Dragon Oil, which is wholly owned by the Emirates National Oil Company. The international office of Turkmenistan's TAPI Pipeline Company is in Dubai.

United Kingdom 23 January 1992
  • The United Kingdom has an embassy in Ashgabat.
  • Turkmenistan has an embassy in London.
United States 10 April 1992 See Turkmenistan–United States relations

The United States and Turkmenistan continue to disagree about the latter country's path toward democratic and economic reform. The United States has publicly advocated industrial and agricultural privatization, market liberalization, and fiscal reform, as well as legal and regulatory reforms to open up the economy to foreign trade and investment, as the best way to achieve prosperity and true independence and sovereignty.

Uzbekistan 7 February 1993 See Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan relations
  • Turkmenistan has an embassy in Tashkent.
  • Uzbekistan has an embassy in Ashgabat.
Venezuela 30 April 1996
  • Venezuela briefly opened an embassy in Ashgabat following a state visit by Hugo Chávez, but the staff returned to Teheran after six months. A chancery is located in Ashgabat, but the bilateral relationship is managed by the Venezuelan embassy in Iran.
Zimbabwe 22 March 1999

Both countries established diplomatic relations on March 22, 1999.

See also