Neutral Ground, Shared Ambition: President Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s Seoul Visit Opens a New Chapter for Turkmenistan and Korea
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s first-ever state visit to the Republic of Korea since his recent accession to the Presidency in 2022, which was made during the first-ever Central Asia–Republic of Korea Summit in Seoul. In a few days of diplomacy and business talks, the Turkmen leader extended the partnership, which had been based largely on gas and chemical plants, to shipbuilding, logistics, water management, digital technology and healthcare. It was a clear case of “economic statecraft” with a long term view.
Turkmenistan and South Korea have already been in diplomatic relations since 1992 and cooperation is already based on concrete projects. President Berdimuhamedur presented a list of the things that Korean companies have constructed in his nation in his speech to the Turkmen-Korean High-Level Business Forum. LX International cooperated with the Hyundai Engineering with the gas desulfurization plant at the Galkynysh field, one of the largest gas deposits in the world, as well as with the polymer plant at Kiyanly. SK Networks assisted in the installation of another road traffic safety system in Ashgabat. On Turkmen roads the majority of buses and passenger cars are made in Korea. The President also pointed that 17 investment projects are registered in Turkmenistan, financed by the Korean companies, with an investment sum exceeding 12 billion US dollars. He said this is evidence of the trust between the two countries in the Korean business.
President established a definite plan for the future. The President welcomed Korean technology, capital and management skills into petrochemicals, chemicals, energy and transport. He highlighted Turkmenistan’s geographical position as a natural transport and logistics hub of Central Asia, which offers a connection with the Caspian region and other regions of Eurasia, and specific opportunities in the mineral fertilizers and value-added industrial production sectors. He also identified healthcare as one of the new fields where Korean firms can contribute to the creation of a new medical cluster at the new city of Arkadag. The message was the same: Turkmenistan can provide resources, stability, location and it will be interested in partners who can modernize.
Turning Words into Signatures
His speech established a definite plan for the future. The President welcomed Korean technology, capital and management skills into petrochemicals, chemicals, energy and transport. He highlighted Turkmenistan’s geographical position as a natural transport and logistics hub of Central Asia, which offers a connection with the Caspian region and other regions of Eurasia, and specific opportunities in the mineral fertilizers and value-added industrial production sectors. He also identified healthcare as one of the new fields where Korean firms can contribute to the creation of a new medical cluster at the new city of Arkadag. The message was the same: Turkmenistan can provide resources, stability, location and it will be interested in partners who can modernize.
The performance was in line with expectations. The Korea–Turkmenistan Business Forum hosted by The Lotte Hotel Seoul, which gathered some 180 government and business officials and South Korean PM Lee Jae Myung, yielded 14 memorandums of understanding. They include the modernization of the Karakum Canal, transportation, production of fibre optic cables, steel pipe production, and gas facilities maintenance. Separately, Daewoo E&C signed an agreement with the State Committee for Water Management of Turkmenistan to implement modernization of about 250 kilometers of the lower part of the canal. It is a project of high value for agriculture and water security in a country where water is precious.
A Regional Voice, Not only a National One
President Serdar Berdimuhamedow is speaking on behalf of the Central Asian region in the Central Asia–Korea Business Summit. He advised entrepreneurs to participate in development projects, but not only that; to create new ones and to form new modes of interregional cooperation, Trend News Agency reported. He also promised Turkmenistan to actively contribute to the development of direct contacts between business communities. It aligns with Seoul’s K-Silk Road policy that Turkmenistan has embraced since its President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Ashgabat in June 2024, and it puts Turkmenistan closer to becoming one of the most active stakeholders of Korea’s engagement with the region than a mere beneficiary.
Neutrality as an Asset
The Turkmen leader stressed diplomacy as a main aspect of the relationship in his dialogues with President Lee Jae Myung. The permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan, affirmed by the UN General Assembly Resolution 50/80 of December 1995, and the first time endorsed by the UN, is not a withdrawal from the world. It forms the foundation for a positive foreign policy. The President reiterated President Lee’s call for the END Initiative on the Korean Peninsula and expressed that the issue on the Korean Peninsula should be addressed through “peaceful dialogue and diplomatic means.
In that role, Ashgabat has acted, so that it carries weight. A resolution for the Year of International Law, which was presented by the Government of Turkmenistan, was adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly, and there were 78 co-sponsors, including the Government of South Korea. Korean authorities too publicly expressed their gratitude for Turkmenistan’s assistance in arranging for the safe exit of the citizens and families of South Korea from Iran by land at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East. By demonstrating its neutrality in action, a neutral state is proving their neutrality.
Conclusion
The world is a place of broken value chains and increased geopolitical tension and countries where stability, resources and willingness to modernize all exist in one are few. President Berdimuhamedov made a definite offer and came back with tangible commitments, an agreement finally arrived after decades and a stronger partnership. Turkmenistan’s location is an opportunity to Korea for access to Central Asia and the Caspian.
