Interview of the National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the "Al-Arabiya" TV Channel

As a result of the wise policy successfully implemented under the leadership of our Esteemed President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, our country's position in the global political and economic space is being increasingly strengthened, and cooperative relations with the countries of the world and international organizations are being intensified.

The National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, within the framework of his visit to the USA, answered questions from Rizwan Khan, the lead anchor of the "Al-Arabiya" TV channel, which has millions of viewers.

Our Hero-Arkadag presented Turkmenistan's views on the main goals of the visit to the United States of America, the current state and development prospects of bilateral cooperation, as well as the priority directions of the country's domestic and foreign policies.

The conversation of our Hero-Arkadag with the lead anchor of the famous TV channel is a clear expression of the global community's immense interest in our country, the vital importance of the initiatives proposed by our nation, and the steadily rising international prestige of Turkmenistan.

1. What are the main objectives of your visit to the United States of America?

— I am pleased to meet with you at the beginning of the month of Ramadan, and I wish that the prayers and wishes for the well-being of humanity, peace, and a tranquil and happy life around the world be accepted. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to our American partners for the high level of organization of this visit, the hospitality shown, and the rich program of the visit.

I would like to emphasize that the traditionally friendly, effective, and mutually beneficial relations between Turkmenistan and the United States of America are consistently developing. These relations cover almost all major areas: politics, economy, culture, education, science, and sports. We attach great importance to exchanging views on the possibilities and prospects of cooperation and further strengthening joint actions.

Today, we see real opportunities opening up and are always ready for productive dialogue in all directions. Such an approach is conditioned by the mutual understanding of the priority areas of the Turkmen-American partnership.

We highly value the achieved level and status of bilateral political relations. The United States of America was one of the first countries in the world to recognize our country's independence and establish diplomatic relations with it. The respectful and favorable attitude of the US toward Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality remains unchanged.

America is one of the important trade and economic partners of Turkmenistan. A great deal of experience has been gained and concrete results have been achieved in this area. Our cooperation is growing steadily, and the pace of mutual trade turnover is increasing.

In general, we see this visit to the United States of America as a major boost for the further development of multifaceted cooperation aimed at the long-term future.

2. We know that your country possesses rich natural resources, including energy resources. What is Turkmenistan's strategy in this field?

— You are right, Turkmenistan is indeed a state possessing enormous reserves of hydrocarbon resources. In terms of explored and confirmed natural gas volumes, we rank fourth in the world.

Turkmenistan, understanding the significance of this fact even more in modern geo-economic conditions, forms its energy strategy, including on the international market, on a very responsible and well-thought-out basis.

The main goal here is to intelligently diversify energy flows and ensure their harmony on a balanced basis, providing safe and reliable delivery. At the political level and in terms of international law, we establish cooperation in the energy sector according to the requirements of current global development and on the basis of mutual benefit. In this regard, Turkmenistan initiated a wide multilateral dialogue within the framework of the United Nations on the topic of energy security and became the author of several resolutions consistently adopted by the General Assembly. The first such resolution was approved in 2008, and since then, the issue of energy security has taken on a new character based on taking into account the interests of energy-producing, transit, and consuming countries.

Politically, we implement the diversification of energy flows and safety standards in practice. Of course, in doing so, we take into account geo-economic situations and development trends.

For example, at one time, the main part of natural gas exports was directed to Russia, i.e., up to 40 billion cubic meters of gas per year were sent. Currently, the main consumer of our gas is China, and its volumes are at approximately the same level. Also, based on the policy of diversification, our country can send gas through "swap" arrangements to Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other necessary countries in the region.

Currently, our country is implementing one of the largest international projects — the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline (TAPI). Today, the construction of the first phase of TAPI on the territory of Afghanistan is underway, which is called "Arkadag’s Bright Path" ("Arkadagyň ak ýoly"). This project finds support at the international level, including from the US. It has great potential in terms of meeting the growing energy needs of South Asian states and also creates good opportunities for entering the growing markets of the Asia-Pacific region and the Near and Middle East. TAPI project is also of great importance due to political stability, economic prosperity, and investment attractiveness.

I would like to especially note that the TAPI project is open to interested companies. We hope our American partners will also realistically assess the possibilities of participating in it.

3. What is the future of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline?

— We see this project as one of the important directions for diversifying energy flows and achieving energy security on the continent. Turkmenistan approaches it seriously, attentively, and positively. At the same time, it is necessary to solve international legal issues, especially the issue of delimiting the seabed of the Caspian Sea. Some time ago, a Turkmen-Azerbaijani Working Group was created to deal with this issue. We hope that the work of this group will yield good practical results.

4. You touched upon the topic of trade and economic cooperation between Turkmenistan and the US. What is the status of affairs in this area at present?

— Our cooperation with the United States of America is developing consistently and is carried out on a mutually beneficial and equal basis.

Over many years, hundreds of economic projects with a total value of nearly 45 billion US dollars have been and are being implemented in Turkmenistan with the participation of American companies.

Very large American companies have been successfully operating in the Turkmen market for a long time in important areas such as the fuel and energy complex, the transport system, power engineering, software, agriculture, the food industry, and other sectors. We support and highly value such cooperation and will continue to encourage and support it. Among such companies, I can point to "John Deere", "General Electric", "Case", "Boeing", "Coca-Cola", "Sikorsky", "Caterpillar". These are not all the companies on the list.

I would like to especially note the important role of the Turkmen-American Business Council, created in 2008 at our initiative.

Since then, it has become an important and influential tool for bilateral cooperation. It has gained great importance in establishing, developing, and strengthening contacts between the business structures of the two countries, and in jointly searching for promising areas of cooperation. It has also become an effective platform for implementing large projects in various sectors of our country's economy. The Business Council has earned a worthy reputation among the business communities of the two countries, and its views and recommendations are listened to by the state bodies of Turkmenistan and the US.

At the same time, it is obvious that mutual opportunities can be used even more widely. First of all, the diversification of Turkmenistan's economy, the wide introduction of high-tech production, and the implementation of large national and international infrastructure projects can be considered.

We see great opportunities in attracting American investments and technologies for the development of innovative and science-based production in Turkmenistan. We also see good opportunities in the fields of power engineering, computer and logistics services, education, and raising the professional level of personnel.

5. What other areas of Turkmen-American cooperation do you consider promising?

— Culture, science, education, sports – in general, all socio-public areas. There is good and useful experience of cooperation in this regard.

Here, projects implemented within the framework of the programs of the US Department of State occupy an important place. As an example, the "Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation" (AFCP) program, which has been active in Turkmenistan since 2001, can be shown. To date, this fund has supported 30 projects in our country.

There is a great interest in the English language in Turkmenistan. Today, the study of the English language has been introduced in all general education schools in our country. In four higher education institutions, education is conducted in English.

In the recently built new "smart" city of Arkadag, we plan to open a specialized English-language school that will be taught according to modern education methods and standards. One of the important things to note: the educational process will be aimed at providing the opportunity to continue education at top US universities, such as Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University. This is where truly wide opportunities open up for the current work of the educational and scientific communities of Turkmenistan and the US.

Regarding culture, cooperation has been established with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I consider it necessary to expand this cooperation. Turkmenistan is a country with an ancient and very rich history and culture.

In turn, we have a great interest in American cinematography, literature, and music. In recent years, various educational programs have been implemented, visits by professors, their lectures, and master classes have been conducted; the arrival of archaeological groups to our country to carry out excavation work is ensured; concerts by American musical and dance groups are held based on US Department of State programs; traditional summer and winter screenings of American films are organized. We are ready to continue and expand such cooperation, and we are also ready to more widely introduce the culture of Turkmenistan in the US.

6. Turkmenistan is located in a strategically important region. How does this situation affect your country, the priorities of its foreign policy and economy?

— We fully realize the geopolitical and geo-economic location of our country. it allows us to be a connecting bridge between Europe and Asia, to have access to the Caspian Sea–Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Middle East.

It is this strategic location that determines Turkmenistan's most thought-out and balanced approach to international cooperation, and in general, our foreign policy concept. Its foundation is permanent Neutrality.

Based on the norms of Neutrality, we ensure peace in the region and conduct preventive work, and we promote a peace and trust agenda in the international space. On the initiative of Turkmenistan, 2025 was declared the International Year of Peace and Trust by the United Nations. This became an important event in world politics. The major International Forum held in Ashgabat was the main high-level event of the year, attended by 66 states, 30 international organizations, and 16 Presidents and Heads of Government. Turkmenistan uses its geostrategic position and neutrality status only for creative and constructive purposes, i.e., to ensure stability, prevent conflicts, encourage economic and trade relations, and ensure the successful integration of the Central Asian and Caspian regions into global economic and political affairs.

7. What results do you expect from the meetings held here in the state of Florida?

— We want to use our presence here to establish direct relations between the state of Florida and Turkmenistan, to combine strengths and opportunities that can be used according to common interests. We are talking about reaching any agreements in business cooperation, investment activity, as well as in the trade system.

We also want to study the experience in the construction of sports facilities in the state of Florida and the organization of sports activity in general. In particular, we are talking about golf. In 2017, the first golf club was opened in Turkmenistan, occupying more than 70 hectares of land along with its fields. During the forum held in 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan and the American company "Nicklaus Companies" on creating a golf club in the "Awaza" National Tourist Zone on the shores of the Caspian Sea. We are seriously engaged in the development of golf in Turkmenistan and rely on cooperation with the United States of America. This also generally applies to the development of the tourism system of our country. Florida has excellent achievements in this direction. We have great hopes for establishing mutually beneficial cooperation.

Another promising direction is the equestrian sector. Turkmenistan is the homeland of the famous Akhal-Teke horses. The history of the first cultural breed developed by humans covers a period of more than five thousand years. At present, special attention is paid to horse breeding in our country. We know that this direction is also widely developed and popular in the state of Florida. We propose to combine our efforts, experience, and knowledge.

At the end of my speech, I thank you for today's meeting and want to emphasize that Turkmenistan sees the United States of America as a friend and a reliable partner.

At the end of the conversation, the journalist of the "Al-Arabiya" TV channel Rizwan Khan, emphasizing first that the conversation was held in an active and effective atmosphere, expressed sincere gratitude to our Hero-Arkadag for expressing his views on the issues of the present time.

Our Hero-Arkadag said that in the year declared as "Fount of Wisdom Magtymguly Fragi," large-scale celebrations will be held in our country in honor of the 35th anniversary of our Independence and in honor of the horses that have become the national pride of our people, and announced that he invites Rizwan Khan and the creative team of "Al-Arabiya" TV channel to the celebrations that have important significance in the life of our country.

Rizwan Khan emphasized that he accepts this invitation as a sign of high respect, and said that he would participate with great enthusiasm in the celebrations to be held in Turkmenistan, the original homeland of Akhal-Teke horses, expressing gratitude to our Hero-Arkadag for this.

Our Hero-Arkadag wished great success to the lead anchor of the world-famous "Al-Arabiya" TV channel and the members of its creative team in their work.