Turkmen People's Council Speaker Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed energy and transport cooperation in a phone call on June 29.
During the call, they noted that their states “actively cooperate in almost all sectors of the economy. At the same time, there are great opportunities for developing productive relations in the fuel and energy sector, transportation and communications."
The Turkmen ex-president, Berdimuhamedow, said that Türkiye is "one of the closest friendly and brotherly countries" and that bilateral relations are "enriched with new meaning and content", according to Turkmenistan Today.
Berdimuhamedow, the Chairman of the People's Council, which oversees all branches of power in the country and has the authority to change the constitution, initiate laws, and determine government policy, reaffirmed his country's readiness to strengthen bilateral relations in various areas.
For his part, Erdogan said that Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow has been "making a great contribution to strengthening the traditional cooperation between Türkiye and Turkmenistan."
On June 26, the Turkmen president and visiting Turkish National Defence Minister Yashar Guler discussed increasing bilateral cooperation in defense, including the training of Turkmen soldiers in Türkiye.
The two sides also discussed exchanging expertise on modernizing equipment, providing technical support for the Turkmen Army, and introducing new technologies. They explored the potential for strengthening cooperation in this area. The Turkmen president also expressed confidence that the Turkish defense chief's meetings and talks in Ashgabat would invigorate bilateral defense relations.
On the same day, the Turkish minister also met with the Turkmen national leader and Chairman of the People's Council, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, as well as Defense Minister Begench Gundogdyyev.
Berdimuhamedow emphasized that neutral Turkmenistan, based on the Military Doctrine, which is purely defensive in nature, is carrying out comprehensive work to ensure peace and prosperity.
“Türkiye is a significant trade and economic partner of our country. The fuel and energy complex, energy, transport, and communications sector were identified as priority vectors,” Berdimuhamedow added.
Yashar Guler highlighted the Turkmen national leader's significant contribution to fostering productive interstate dialogue. This, according to him, includes efforts in both bilateral and multilateral settings, as well as within regional and international organizations like the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY).
The Turkish defense minister later visited Uzbekistan to meet Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, where they discussed deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations, following agreements reached during Mirziyoyev's visit to Ankara in early June.
The two sides also reviewed the development of military and military-technical cooperation, including the strengthening of relations between ministries, holding joint events, and training military specialists. They further discussed cooperation on security issues, combating terrorism, extremism, and radicalism, and ensuring regional peace and stability, including the situation in neighboring Afghanistan.
Guler's visits coincide with recent discussions about Ankara potentially forming a stronger security alliance with Central Asian countries.
Former ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Azerbaijan and Georgia Kairat Osmonaliev, has recently emphasized the need to deepen cooperation and integration of Turkic states in the field of ensuring regional security, and suggested the establishment of a regional security system similar to NATO or the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization consisting of six post-Soviet states).
He made the statement at the panel session "Turkic World 2040: A conceptual view of the Future" within the framework of the international conference "Organization of Turkic States: Towards new strategic goals in the context of geopolitical realities and global cataclysms" held in Shusha, Azerbaijan on June 15.
The Organization of Turkic States comprises five member states: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan, with Hungary and Turkmenistan holding observer status.