The visit of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, to Azerbaijan and his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev on July 16 holds special significance for the development of Azerbaijani-Turkmen relations. This was stated by political analyst Elkhan Shahinoglu in a comment to Minval.az.
According to Shahinoglu, although the official president of Turkmenistan is Serdar Berdimuhamedov, it is his father, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who continues to play a key role in the political life of the country.
Turkmenistan has long pursued a policy of neutrality and refrains from joining international blocs. Although it is a Turkic-speaking country, Turkmenistan is not a full member of the Organization of Turkic States and participates in its meetings only as an observer. Nevertheless, both Turkey and Azerbaijan are interested in seeing Turkmenistan become a full-fledged member of the organization.
Shahinoglu also noted that Turkey and the European Union are interested in transporting Turkmen gas to Europe via Azerbaijan. However, this would require the construction of a pipeline under the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan, according to the analyst, is ready to support the transportation but does not intend to initiate the construction. Baku believes that the project should be a joint initiative of Turkmenistan and the EU.
The political analyst reminded that in the 1990s, relations between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan were tense due to a dispute over the “Kyapaz” field in the Caspian Sea, which Turkmenistan called “Serdar.” On January 21, 2021, a memorandum on joint development and exploitation of the field—renamed “Dostlug”—was signed in Ashgabat. However, according to Shahinoglu, the practical implementation of the memorandum has not yet begun, and this issue may be discussed during Berdimuhamedov’s visit to Baku.
Shahinoglu also emphasized the importance of the planned visit of the Turkmen leader to Karabakh. In his view, such visits demonstrate support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. He expressed hope that Turkmenistan, following the example of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, will also participate in the reconstruction of the region by building a school or cultural center in Karabakh or Eastern Zangezur.
