Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s media comment following the meeting with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Ashgabat, June 25, 2025

I had a conversation with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Speaking on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, I once again thanked the President of Turkmenistan for attending the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of our shared Victory in World War II and the Great Patriotic War. Russia had the honour and privilege to have a combat crew of Turkmenistan’s Armed Forces among the participants in the parade on Red Square.

We have also praised Turkmenistan for holding special events to mark the anniversary of Victory in Ashgabat and other cities, including marches as part of the Immortal Regiment campaign. A Memory Alley has been created near the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ashgabat. This is something that unites us. This is our shared past and our common feat.

Russia and Turkmenistan share a firm commitment to perpetuating this memory and keeping it alive. The young generation in both Turkmenistan and Russia must fully understand what it meant for our forefathers to accomplish the feat of stopping Nazism and saving from the brown plague all of Europe, which, unfortunately, is becoming oblivious of this past.

We exchanged views on other contacts at the highest level. In particular, the participation by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in the Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 16th International Economic Forum was quite useful. During his trip to Kazan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had a detailed telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin. It helped outline additional tracks for promoting our strategic partnership and will help us build up our ties across the board.

During our today’s meeting with the President of Turkmenistan, we agreed on the need to schedule the 13th meeting of the Russia-Turkmenistan Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation so that this regular session can take place soon. It now has new co-chairs represented by Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Nokerguly Atagulyev and Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

There is an understanding that this timeframe will be established soon. The agenda for this meeting includes several matters that require special attention, in particular, projects as part of the North-South International Transport Corridor. Russia and Turkmenistan will play an important role in this promising undertaking. It will substantially reinforce our regional presence in terms of logistics and developing the Eurasian continent, while also improving connectivity between the northern and southern seas.

Humanitarian affairs have always been high on our agenda. We discussed efforts to add a new building to the Alexander Pushkin Russian School, erect a new building for the Alexander Pushkin Theatre, as well as progress on the intergovernmental agreement to establish the Russian-Turkmen University. These are all major projects. We are looking forward to and are interested in promoting Russian history and culture in Turkmenistan while also raising awareness in Russia about developments in Turkmenistan. Our heads of state have been keeping a close eye on these initiatives.

We are working together on multiple fronts on the international stage, primarily in the UN. On March 21, 2025, we lent our proactive support to a resolution sponsored by Turkmenistan to mark the 30th anniversary of its permanent neutrality policy. A commemorative event is scheduled to take place in December 2025 on this occasion. Russia will actively contribute to preparing and holding it.

Apart from the UN, there are other cooperation frameworks, and the CIS is one of them. Next year, Turkmenistan will assume its rotational Chairmanship in the CIS. We will actively support our friends in Turkmenistan in this connection.

The Eurasian Economic Union offers another cooperation format, and Turkmenistan has been taking part in some of its events. Russia welcomes this fact, just as Turkmenistan’s involvement in various BRICS undertakings. During the BRICS Summit in Kazan last year, Turkmenistan took part in the BRICS+ format. We welcome its interest in these undertakings.

Of course, there is also the Caspian Five. We all share it as our common house. There are quite a few challenges, including the declining water level, and the need to complete the ratification procedures for the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. We will join efforts and coordinate our actions with our friends in Turkmenistan on this track too.

Overall, I believe that this was quite a useful conversation. It will set the tone for my subsequent engagements in Ashgabat. We will hold detailed talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov to zero in on these and other matters.