Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan move to strengthen Caspian connectivity

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have agreed to deepen cooperation in transport, logistics, energy, shipbuilding and humanitarian ties, confirming the strategic character of relations between the two Caspian neighbours. The agreements and statements came during the state visit of Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to Azerbaijan and his expanded meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.

President Aliyev said the visit carries special importance for the further development of friendly and brotherly relations between the two countries. He noted that the agenda of cooperation covers a wide range of areas and that the documents to be signed reflect the broad scope of bilateral ties. According to the Azerbaijani leader, transport and energy security have become central issues on the global agenda, and both Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan play an increasingly important role in these fields not only regionally, but also across a much wider Eurasian geography.

A major focus of the talks was transport and logistics. President Aliyev described cooperation in this sphere as long-term and strategic, stressing that in today’s world there are not many reliable and secure transport routes connecting partner countries. He noted that transport and logistics projects cannot be separated from political cooperation, since geography alone would not be enough without mutual trust and coordinated policy. Baku and Ashgabat agreed to deepen coordination in order to increase cargo flows, which are already growing as a result of joint efforts, and to attract cargo from third countries. This area, Aliyev said, will remain one of the priorities of both bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov also emphasized the importance of the transport and transit sector, describing it as one of the strategic directions of cooperation. He said the geographical positions of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan create strong advantages for the development of international transport corridors and proposed stepping up the work of the Turkmen-Azerbaijani Commission on Transport, Transit and Logistics. The Turkmen leader pointed to the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye transport corridor as a successful example of regional cooperation and also highlighted the initiative to establish the Caspian Sea-Black Sea corridor along the Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania route.

The Caspian dimension was another important part of the discussions. Berdimuhamedov underlined the importance of cooperation in security, economy, ecology and environmental protection in the Caspian Sea. He said Turkmenistan has proposed holding a high-level meeting on Caspian issues and expressed hope for Azerbaijan’s support in promoting the Caspian environmental initiative. President Aliyev, for his part, reaffirmed that Azerbaijan has always supported and will continue to support Turkmenistan’s policy of neutrality, as well as its international initiatives aimed at peace and sustainable development.

The visit also included a symbolic gesture in the maritime sector. With the participation of both presidents, a ceremony was held in online format to present the Dostlug oil tanker, gifted by Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan. The vessel was built at the Baku Shipyard and has a length of 141 meters, a width of 16.9 meters and a deadweight of 7,875 tons. Its construction demonstrates the growing capacity of Azerbaijan’s shipbuilding industry and the ability of the Baku Shipyard to implement technologically complex projects. To date, the shipyard has built 14 vessels and repaired more than 170, while its current order portfolio includes 17 ships.

Humanitarian and cultural cooperation also featured prominently in the talks. President Aliyev thanked Turkmenistan and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for the decision to gift a mosque to the city of Fuzuli, describing it as another manifestation of sincere brotherhood between the two countries. The foundation of the mosque was laid during the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Gabala. The Azerbaijani leader also expressed gratitude for the hospitality shown to Azerbaijani creative teams during the Days of Azerbaijani Culture in Turkmenistan, noting that such exchanges are natural given the common history of the two peoples.

Berdymukhamedov stressed that Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have established close ties in political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian fields. He pointed to cooperation within the UN, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Organization of Turkic States and the CIS, saying that the two countries support each other’s important international initiatives.

The talks in Baku showed that Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan relations are moving beyond traditional bilateral cooperation and increasingly becoming part of a larger Eurasian connectivity agenda. Transport corridors, Caspian cooperation, energy security, shipbuilding and cultural ties are now forming a common framework in which both countries seek to strengthen their role between Asia and Europe.