Secretary of State of the USA, Marco Rubio, wrote on X:

“Welcomed Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Meredov to the @StateDept today. I conveyed that the U.S. intends to keep working with Turkmenistan to expand our economic and commercial ties, promote regional integration through the C5+1 diplomatic platform, and to make the region safer.”

As a reminder, on its thirtieth anniversary of permanent neutrality, Turkmenistan declared this year a year of peace and trust. This year, the country was exemplary in providing humanitarian aid during the tensions between Israel and Iran. Since then, it has been a trusted partner for stability in the region for the United States.

During the consultations, the Turkmen side was headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, and the American side was headed by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Department of State for South and Central Asian Affairs John Mark Pommersheim. At the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and prospects for the development of Turkmen-American relations, and also exchanged views on current issues on the international agenda.

The United States established diplomatic relations with Turkmenistan in 1992 following its independence from the Soviet Union.

Turkmenistan has a cooperative relationship with the United States. U.S.-Turkmenistan relations focus on regional security, economic opportunities… The statut of neutrality of Turkmenistan is very important for the United States. Turkmenistan exercises a foreign policy of “positive neutrality” — avoiding alignment with great powers yet actively engaging in numerous international and regional initiatives.

According to the U.S. Department of State, “The country occupies a critical geographic juncture, sharing long borders with Afghanistan and Iran, and acts as a transportation, humanitarian, and economic link to Afghanistan and the South Asian subcontinent, advancing regional stability. Turkmenistan provides heavily subsidized food, electricity, and natural gas to the provinces of northern Afghanistan to promote stability“. For this reason, Turkmenistan is an important partner for the USA in the region.

A notable early milestone was the 1998 meeting between Former Turkmen President Saparmyrat Niyazow and U.S. President Bill Clinton, where both sides expressed a desire to strengthen ties in various sectors including politics, economics, and security.

As a reminder, American Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake praised Turkmenistan for providing some humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and for constructing or
planning rail and energy links to the country, including the prospective Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline in July 2012. He stated that such projects illustrate that Turkmenistan has the potential to be a leader in regional economic development according to Nichol, J. P. (2013).

On August 20, 2025, Turkmenistan and United States reaffirmed their commitment to developing relations between the both sides, including cooperation in the field of security, expansion of trade-economic ties, and intensification of partnership within the framework of the regional diplomatic platform “C5+1” according to the Ambassador of Turkmenistan in Brussels, Sapar Palvanov.

The issues of facilitating the implementation of bilateral projects with key American companies were also considered, and prospects for expanding investment opportunities in Turkmenistan were discussed. In conclusion of the meeting, the parties emphasized that regular bilateral consultations have proven themselves to be an effective mechanism for the further development of Turkmen-American cooperation.

According to the US Department of State : “The United States is looking forward to continuing working together with Turkmenistan to overcome joint challenges and celebrate further bilateral successes in the coming year“.

Bibliography

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. (2025, August 21).В США состоялся очередной раунд туркмено-американских политических консультаций. https://www.mfa.gov.tm/en/news/5506

Nichol, J. P. (2013). Turkmenistan: Recent Developments and US Interests. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). Turkmenistan. 2021–2025.state.gov. https://2021-2025.state.gov/countries-areas/turkmenistan/