TURKMENISTAN – AZERBAIJAN: FRIENDLY RELATIONS ARE STRENGTHENING
The contemporary development of Turkmen diplomacy is aimed at realizing the multi-vector potential of international cooperation of the country and elevating interstate relations which are based on historically established traditions of friendship and brotherhood to qualitatively new horizons that match modern realities. In this context, it is important to highlight the long-standing and successfully ongoing bilateral cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. This partnership remains fundamentally constructive and trust-based, steadily developing on a solid foundation of mutual benefit and mutual respect.
The peoples of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan are united by a shared history and centuries-old brotherly relations. Official diplomatic ties between the two nations were established on June 9, 1992. Over the past historical period, a wealth of positive experience has been built up through close cooperation across the political, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian dimensions of this bilateral interstate dialogue.
A powerful impetus for concluding key agreements across various sectors was provided by the first visit of the Hero-Arkadag to the Republic of Azerbaijan, which took place on May 19-20, 2008. In turn, on November 28-29, 2008, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan paid a working visit to Turkmenistan. During the high-level negotiations between the leaders of the two states, important agreements were reached on cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, economics and education, demonstrating a clear mutual commitment to establishing and further developing a full-scale partnership for the sake of common progress.
Subsequent working visits by the Hero-Arkadag to the Republic of Azerbaijan on November 18, 2010, as well as in June 2015, were also highly productive. Participating in the 3rd Summit of the Caspian States in Baku in 2010, the Hero-Arkadag put forward constructive initiatives aimed at protecting and effectively using the water and biological resources of the Caspian Sea, as well as developing closer cooperation in preventing and eliminating emergency situations in the Caspian region. In 2015, the visit of Hero-Arkadag as a guest of honor to the opening ceremony of the First European Games, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, significantly revitalized the cultural and humanitarian dimension of bilateral ties.
On August 8-9, 2017, the visit of the Hero-Arkadag to the Republic of Azerbaijan was of great importance for the dynamic development of relations. During the negotiations, which were held in both bilateral and expanded formats, a package of documents were signed in key areas of interstate cooperation, clearly confirming the expansion of the legal framework of bilateral ties. Special attention was paid to expanding the partnership in the fields of culture, science, information, tourism and sports, marking the transition of friendly relations between the states to a new level.
In the context of the progressive strengthening of the interstate dialogue, August 2025 became a landmark event, when a meeting between the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov took place within the framework of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.
On October 7 of the same year, the working visit of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Hero-Arkadag wrote a bright chapter to brotherly Azerbaijan in the chronicle of good-neighborliness for the entire Turkic world. The Hero-Arkadag’s participation in the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, his substantive speech and a fruitful meeting with President Ilham Aliyev marked pivotal milestones of the International Year of Peace and Trust. A key highlight of this brotherhood was the solemn laying of the foundation stone for a new mosque in Fizuly, a special humanitarian gift from Turkmenistan to the brotherly nation of Azerbaijan.
The dynamic development of bilateral ties continues to advance throughout 2026. For instance, on May 22, 2026, Ali Asadov, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, visited Ashgabat to participate in the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government, during which he was received by the esteemed President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. The parties discussed strategic prospects for cooperation in the Caspian region, including energy, transport and logistics corridors, and the development of the “Dostluk” field.
A major cultural triumph was the holding of the Culture Days of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the cities of Ashgabat and Arkadag on June 5-8, 2026, featuring a delegation led by Adil Karimli, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The program of the events included grand concerts at the “Mukam Palace” of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan, art exhibitions and scientific conferences dedicated to the invaluable creative heritage of the classical poets of the two friendly nations.
Relations between the two friendly states are also actively developing on a multilateral basis, particularly within the framework of the UN. The Republic of Azerbaijan consistently supports the international initiatives put forward by the esteemed President of Turkmenistan and regularly acts as a co-sponsor for them.
Alongside the political-diplomatic sphere, the core of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan is formed by close trade and economic ties maintained over many years. In this regard, the activities of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation should be highlighted as an effective mechanism for interaction. Within the framework of this commission, views are regularly exchanged on key issues of interstate partnership. The revitalization of the intergovernmental commission’s activities in recent years clearly demonstrates the commitment of both parties to the further development of priority areas of mutually beneficial cooperation.
The most important component of Turkmen-Azerbaijani relations remains cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. The peoples of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan carefully preserve the cultural and historical heritage of ancient civilizations that have exerted a powerful influence on world history. A historic milestone in the chronicle of bilateral ties was marked by the state visit of the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, to the Republic of Azerbaijan, which began on June 22, 2026. The current highest-level talks are a natural continuation of a long-standing, fruitful dialogue: to date, 16 official and working visits have taken place at the highest level and a solid legal foundation for relations is formed by 124 bilateral documents. Beyond the traditional bilateral format, our nations are actively developing multilateral cooperation on such platforms as “Turkmenistan – Azerbaijan – Turkey” and “Turkmenistan – Azerbaijan – Uzbekistan”, as well as within the framework of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan.
The outcomes of this state visit are intended to promote the further scaling up of multifaceted cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, logistics and culture, opening up qualitatively new horizons for the strategic partnership of the brotherly countries for the sake of common progress.
Hurma PARAHATOVA,
the 3rd year student of the Faculty of International Relations
of the Institute of International Relations
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan