BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 15. Malaysia’s Prime
Minister Anwar Ibrahim described relations with Turkmenistan as
friendly, amid preparations for his upcoming official visit to
Ashgabat.
This was published by the press office of the Prime Minister of
Malaysia in a press release issued on June 13, in connection with
ongoing bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.
“Turkmenistan is a friendly country to Malaysia. The President
of Turkmenistan mentioned that, if the Malaysian Prime Minister
visits, they are ready to consider cooperation on one of the
world’s largest gas fields and work with PETRONAS on its
development,” Anwar Ibrahim said, referring to the bilateral
relationship between the two nations, the press release says.
According to the report, the remarks come as Malaysia prepares
to send a government delegation led by the Prime Minister to
Turkmenistan, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening
bilateral cooperation, particularly in the energy sector.
Meanwhile, according to information released by the press
service of the Turkmen Government on June 13, preparations for the
upcoming visit were reviewed at a Cabinet meeting, which was
chaired online by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
“Turkmenistan is preparing to host an official visit by a
Malaysian government delegation led by the country’s Prime
Minister. Arrangements for the upcoming visit were discussed at a
regular meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, which President Serdar
Berdimuhamedov chaired via video conference,” the report says.
According to the report, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov
reported that relations with Asia-Pacific countries, including
Malaysia, remain a key priority of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy,
while noting that the bilateral legal framework currently includes
43 interstate, intergovernmental, and interagency agreements.
Earlier on June 7, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
announced plans to visit Turkmenistan in mid-June to sign an
agreement expected to provide PETRONAS with access to the Galkynysh
gas field, one of the world’s largest natural gas fields.
For reference, PETRONAS has maintained a presence in
Turkmenistan since July 1996, when it became the first foreign
company to sign a production-sharing agreement (PSA) for offshore
Block I in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. The block
includes the Magtymguly, Diyarbekir, and Garagol-Deniz fields and
remains one of the country’s key offshore energy assets. This year
also marked two decades of cooperation between Turkmenistan and
PETRONAS in the gas processing sector.
In May 2025, PETRONAS signed a new long-term agreement for Block
I, extending its operations in Turkmenistan through 2050. Under the
updated arrangement, the offshore project currently produces around
400 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and has access to
more than 7 trillion cubic feet of gas resources.
