Monday, June 22 2026 13:38

ArmInfo.On June 19, 2026, an official welcoming ceremony was held at the "Oguzhan" Presidential Palace Complex for the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, who had arrived in Ashgabat the previous day on an official visit.

Warmly welcoming the high-ranking guest, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for accepting the invitation to pay an official visit to Turkmenistan. It was noted that Anwar Ibrahim's first visit to Turkmenistan is viewed as an important event in the history of the two peoples and states.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov conveyed greetings to Anwar Ibrahim on behalf of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, as well as heartfelt greetings and best wishes from himself and on behalf of the Hero-Arkadag to the Supreme Head of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim.

Thanking for the hospitality, the Prime Minister of Malaysia conveyed warm greetings from Sultan Ibrahim addressed to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the Hero-Arkadag, and wished prosperity and well-being to the people of Turkmenistan.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed that Malaysia fully supports the initiatives of Turkmenistan, which develops fruitful relations with countries worldwide and implements a policy of positive neutrality. At the same time, readiness to further expand productive cooperation with Turkmenistan was expressed.

Speaking about President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's visit to Malaysia in 2024, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim noted that the agreements reached during that visit gave a powerful impetus to strengthening bilateral interaction.

The President of Turkmenistan emphasized that a long way has been traveled in developing Turkmen-Malaysian cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

An effective partnership has been established between the two states in political-diplomatic, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres. Turkmenistan and Malaysia successfully cooperate within major international bodies, primarily the United Nations.

The trade and economic vector serves as a key area of Turkmen-Malaysian relations. In this context, the effective nature of the partnership in the oil and gas industry, carried out for 30 years with one of Malaysia's major companies, "Petronas", was emphasized.

The parties discussed cultural and humanitarian cooperation, particularly in the field of education. Turkmen specialists trained in Malaysia's leading higher education institutions work in various sectors of the national economy, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized, thanking the Malaysian side in this regard.

During the meeting, the Head of State and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed their readiness to continue joint activities to strengthen relations between Turkmenistan and Malaysia.

Subsequently, the talks continued in an expanded format with the participation of delegations from both states.

The parties discussed a wide range of issues in political-diplomatic, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian fields. It was emphasized that next year will mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that Malaysia consistently supports Turkmenistan on the world stage, including its international initiatives and proposals, and actively participated in drafting resolution projects on the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan adopted in 1995, 2015, and 2025.

Highlighting the great authority of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov in the international arena, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that Turkmenistan is a strategically important partner for Malaysia.

During the meeting, gratitude was expressed to the Malaysian side for supporting the Resolution "The role and importance of a policy of neutrality in maintaining and strengthening international peace, security and sustainable development process", initiated by Turkmenistan and adopted on May 20 of this year.

It was noted that Malaysia also co-sponsored UN resolutions put forward by Turkmenistan regarding energy security and international transport cooperation.

During the negotiations, cooperation within other multilateral frameworks was reviewed, particularly with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In this context, the Head of State highlighted cooperation with Malaysia as a founding country and an influential member of ASEAN. Along with this, it was emphasized that Turkmenistan highly appreciates the results of Malaysia's chairmanship in ASEAN in 2025.

Naming the protection of the legitimate interests of developing countries and their rights in global decision-making among the key vectors of joint work between Turkmenistan and Malaysia, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov confirmed that our country supports the initiatives of the friendly state to strengthen the position of the Global South and promote a culture of dialogue.

"We are ready to closely cooperate with Malaysia in promoting initiatives to strengthen international security, and to jointly support programs for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals", the President of Turkmenistan noted.

Furthermore, the desire to interact in areas such as transitioning to the climate agenda and energy, developing interregional dialogue between Central and Southeast Asia, and facilitating the formation of new transport and logistics corridors on the Asian continent was highlighted.

The parties also discussed partnership within the framework of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The trade-economic, and investment spheres were identified as important vectors of bilateral relations, with an emphasis on the oil and gas sector. In this regard, it was noted that the Malaysian company "Petronas" is one of the main partners in Turkmenistan.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed gratitude to the Turkmen side for supporting the activities of "Petronas", which has been operating successfully in Turkmenistan since 1996, and noted the personal support of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in implementing an effective partnership in this area.

In order to implement large-scale and long-term projects in the oil and gas industry, a number of important bilateral documents have been prepared. Based on these, wide-ranging work involving "Petronas" will begin in the near future to develop new hydrocarbon fields in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, as well as to conduct research on promising oil and gas complexes in the Caspian Sea, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted.

"Malaysia is interested in studying Turkmenistan's rich and modern experience in the energy sector, the organization of information centers, and other fields, and highly values its long-standing cooperation with 'Petronas'," Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

During the negotiations, it was stated that both countries possess significant opportunities for developing cooperation in areas such as high technologies, the financial and banking sector, the textile industry, transport and communications, agriculture and water management, and urban planning.

It was noted that the cultural and humanitarian sphere is an integral part of interstate relations. As mentioned, our peoples possess ancient traditions and a rich historical heritage, and familiarity with them contributes to the mutual enrichment of cultures. In this regard, the importance of holding reciprocal Days of Culture in both countries was discussed.

Interaction in education, specifically in training highly qualified specialists, is a clear testament to fruitful relations, Anwar Ibrahim noted, confirming Malaysia's readiness to further expand partnership in this direction.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia emphasized that the translation of valuable works by the great poet Magtymguly Fragi into the Malay language serves as a striking example of cultural dialogue.

In conclusion, the Head of Turkmenistan noted that the current visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is intended to help strengthen interstate relations. Confidence was also expressed that today's meeting confirms the readiness of both countries for further joint activities. Thanking Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim once again for the fruitful cooperation, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov addressed wishes of peace, well-being, and prosperity to the people of Malaysia.

The Head of the Government of Malaysia expressed confidence that, as a result of joint efforts, the unbreakable bonds of friendship between the peoples of the two countries will continue to strengthen.

Following the conclusion of the talks, a ceremony of signing and exchanging bilateral documents took place.

Exchanged Documents:Memorandum of Understanding between the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan and the Academy of Sciences of Malaysia; Memorandum of Understanding between the "Türkmenhowaýollary" State Service and the Ministry of Transport of Malaysia; Air Services Agreement between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of Malaysia; Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of Malaysia on the training of diplomats and cooperation in scientific exchange.

Announced Signed Documents: Agreement between the Oguz Han Engineering and Technology University of Turkmenistan and Universiti Tenaga Nasional on student exchange and mobility programs; Agreement between the Turkmen State Architecture and Construction Institute and Universiti Tenaga Nasional on student exchange and mobility programs; Agreement between the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan and Universiti Tenaga Nasional on student exchange and mobility programs.

В числе документов, которыми обменялись стороны, значатся Меморандум о взаимопонимании между Академией наук Туркменистана и Академией наук Малайзии; Меморандум о взаимопонимании между Государственной службой «Türkmenhowaýollary» и Министерством транспорта Малайзии; Соглашение о воздушных сообщениях между Правительством Туркменистана и Правительством Малайзии; Меморандум о взаимопонимании между Правительством Туркменистана и Правительством Малайзии в области подготовки дипломатов и сотрудничества по научному обмену.

Subsequently, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signed the Joint Statement between Turkmenistan and Malaysia following the official visit of the Prime Minister of Malaysia to Turkmenistan.

The document notes that during today's talks, a wide range of bilateral, regional, and international issues were reviewed. At the same time, it reaffirms the commitment of the President of Turkmenistan and the Prime Minister of Malaysia to the further development of interstate cooperation on a bilateral basis, as well as within regional and international organizations. The statement also highlights the outcomes of the Malaysian delegation's visit to Turkmenistan.

Following the document signing ceremony, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim spoke to media representatives.