President Berdimuhamedov, PM Anwar Ibrahim Hold Talks to Expand Turkmenistan–Malaysia Cooperation

Ashgabat, The Gulf Observer: President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim held high-level talks in Ashgabat on June 19, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation across political, economic, energy, educational and cultural sectors.

An official welcoming ceremony for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was held at the Oguzhan Presidential Palace Complex, marking the Malaysian leader’s first official visit to Turkmenistan. President Berdimuhamedov described the visit as a significant event in the history of relations between the two countries and their peoples.

During the meeting, the Turkmen leader conveyed greetings from the National Leader of the Turkmen people and extended best wishes to Malaysia’s Supreme Head, Sultan Ibrahim. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reciprocated with greetings from the Malaysian monarch and expressed appreciation for the warm hospitality extended by the Turkmen side.

The Malaysian premier reaffirmed his country’s support for Turkmenistan’s policy of positive neutrality and praised its efforts to maintain constructive relations with countries around the world. He also expressed readiness to further expand productive cooperation with Ashgabat.

President Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistan and Malaysia have developed effective cooperation since establishing diplomatic relations nearly 35 years ago. He highlighted successful collaboration in political, diplomatic, economic and humanitarian fields, as well as close coordination within international organizations, particularly the United Nations.

Both leaders emphasized the importance of trade and economic cooperation, particularly in the energy sector. President Berdimuhamedov praised the long-standing partnership with Malaysian energy company Petronas, which has operated in Turkmenistan for three decades and remains one of the country’s key partners in the oil and gas industry.

Prime Minister Anwar expressed gratitude for Turkmenistan’s support of Petronas operations since 1996 and welcomed plans for expanding cooperation. President Berdimuhamedov revealed that new bilateral arrangements would pave the way for large-scale projects involving Petronas, including the development of hydrocarbon fields in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea and research into promising oil and gas reserves.

The two sides also reviewed cooperation within multilateral frameworks, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. President Berdimuhamedov praised Malaysia’s role as a founding member of ASEAN and commended the results of its 2025 ASEAN chairmanship.

During the talks, both leaders reaffirmed their support for strengthening the voice of developing nations in global decision-making and advancing initiatives related to international security, sustainable development and South-South cooperation.

The discussions further focused on climate action, energy transition, transport connectivity and the development of new logistics corridors linking Central and Southeast Asia. Both sides highlighted opportunities for cooperation in high technology, banking, textiles, transport, communications, agriculture, water management and urban development.

The cultural and humanitarian dimension of bilateral relations also featured prominently. President Berdimuhamedov thanked Malaysia for its contribution to educating Turkmen specialists, many of whom have graduated from leading Malaysian universities and now serve in key sectors of the national economy.

Prime Minister Anwar underscored the importance of educational cooperation and confirmed Malaysia’s readiness to further expand partnerships in training highly qualified professionals. He also noted that the translation of works by renowned Turkmen poet Magtymguly Fragi into the Malay language represented a valuable example of cultural dialogue between the two nations.

Following the talks, the two countries signed and exchanged a series of agreements aimed at broadening bilateral cooperation. These included memoranda of understanding between the Academies of Sciences of Turkmenistan and Malaysia, cooperation between the Türkmenhowaýollary State Service and Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport, an Air Services Agreement, and an agreement on diplomatic training and scientific exchange.

Additional agreements were concluded between several Turkmen universities and Malaysia’s Universiti Tenaga Nasional covering student exchange and mobility programmes.

President Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also signed a Joint Statement reaffirming their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation and strengthening collaboration within regional and international organizations.

The statement reflected the outcomes of the Malaysian leader’s visit and underscored both countries’ determination to deepen strategic relations in the years ahead.

Addressing the media after the signing ceremony, the two leaders expressed confidence that the visit would further strengthen the longstanding friendship between Turkmenistan and Malaysia and open new avenues for mutually beneficial cooperation across a broad range of sectors.