BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 10. President of
Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov received newly appointed
European Union Ambassador Luc Pierre Devigne and discussed
prospects for further strengthening bilateral relations.


This was reflected in a statement published by the Turkmen
government on September 10.


According to the statement, in the course of the meeting,
Berdimuhamedov stated that Turkmenistan attaches great importance
to cooperation with the European Union, describing it as “one of
the country's important international partners.”


"The sides discussed further development of political dialogue,
exchanges on regional and international issues of mutual interest,
as well as cooperation in education, science and culture. The
ambassador conveyed greetings from European Council President
António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen and expressed readiness to further strengthen EU-Turkmenistan
relations," the statement noted.







Meanwhile, relations between Turkmenistan and the European Union
are currently governed by an Interim Agreement on Trade and
Trade-related Matters, which entered into force in 2010. A broader
Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), signed in 1998, has
not yet been fully ratified by the European Parliament, making
Turkmenistan the only Central Asian country without a fully
implemented partnership agreement with the EU.


In recent years, cooperation has increasingly focused on
transport connectivity, trade facilitation, energy, education,
climate policy, and economic diversification. The EU's engagement
with Turkmenistan is carried out within the framework of the 2019
EU Strategy for Central Asia and the Global Gateway initiative. The
EU has allocated 18 million euros for bilateral cooperation with
Turkmenistan under its 2021-2027 programme.


Transport and logistics have become one of the key areas of
cooperation. Brussels views Turkmenistan as an important
participant in the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor connecting
Central Asia and Europe. In March 2025, EU Commissioner for
International Partnerships Jozef Síkela visited Ashgabat and
reaffirmed EU support for the corridor's development as part of the
Global Gateway strategy.