BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 29. Turkmenistan and
South Korea discussed expanding customs cooperation to strengthen
border protection of intellectual property rights.
This was reflected in a press release published by the press
service of the Turkmen government on June 29 following a
videoconference between representatives of the State Customs
Service of Turkmenistan and the Korea Customs Service.
According to the government, the talks focused on a draft
Memorandum of Understanding on border protection of intellectual
property rights. The document is intended to "create a legal
framework for cooperation in ensuring the lawful cross-border
movement of goods and protecting the economic interests of the two
countries."
The meeting was held as part of preparations for the first
Korea-Central Asia Summit, scheduled to take place in Seoul in
September, the report says.
According to the press release, the parties also reviewed
earlier customs cooperation, including agreements reached during a
ministerial meeting in Busan in 2018.
They also recalled joint training programs on customs risk
management and customs valuation held in 2019, the report
added.
According to the government, the sides reaffirmed their
intention to finalize the memorandum in the near future so that it
can be signed during the upcoming summit.
Meanwhile, South Korea has become one of Turkmenistan's key
partners in developing the country's shipbuilding industry. Since
2023, the Balkan Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Yard has been
cooperating with South Korea's Koryo Shipbuilding Industry
Technology (KSIT) on the design and construction of two
6,100-deadweight-ton dry cargo vessels, while Korean engineers have
trained local specialists and transferred shipbuilding
technologies.
The first vessel, Gadamly, entered service in 2026 as
Turkmenistan's first domestically built dry cargo ship, and a
second vessel, Menzil, is expected to follow, highlighting the
growing role of South Korean expertise in modernizing
Turkmenistan's maritime and logistics infrastructure.
