Diplomacy Journal Kim Tae Yeon | A total of 13 agreements and MOUs was signed in the presence of the leaders of the two countries deepening the mutually beneficial partnership between Korea and Turkmenistan,
On September 15, President Lee Jae-Myung of Korea and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan held a summit meeting at the Blue House in Seoul and agreed to expand substantive cooperation between the two countries beyond the traditional sectors of energy and plant construction to include railways, shipbuilding, new city development, water resources, forestry, artificial intelligence (AI), and science & technology.

President Berdimuhamedov paid a state visit to South Korea to attend the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit. Following an official welcoming ceremony at the Blue House in Seoul, the leaders held both a restricted summit and an expanded summit. Official materials released by "Policy Briefing" confirm that the two leaders held the summit and proceeded with the state visit schedule.

According to a written briefing by Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong, President Lee welcomed President Berdimuhamedov to Korea and expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided--especifically, facilitating the safe evacuation of the Korean citizens and their families from Iran via Turkmenistan during times of heightened tension in the Middle East in June last year and March this year.

President Berdimuhamedov stated that he trusts Korea and places great importance on the development of friendly cooperation between the two nations, expressing hope that this state visit would serve as a pivotal turning point for the advancement of bilateral relations.

Since establishing a "mutually beneficial partnership" in 2008, the two nations have agreed to further diversify their cooperation, which had previously centered on energy and industrial plant projects.
New areas of cooperation were proposed, ranging from infrastructure--such as railways, shipbuilding, and new city construction--to water resources, forestry, AI, and science and technology.

In particular, President Lee requested the Turkmen government's interest and support to ensure that Korean companies, leveraging their accumulated technology and experience, could continue to participate in Turkmenistan's large-scale industrial plant and infrastructure projects.

Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) on cooperation in the chemical industry, industrial plants, and infrastructure--signed during the summit--are expected to serve as a foundation for future business collaboration between companies of the two countries.

The institutional framework supporting economic cooperation was also strengthened. The two countries signed an investment protection agreement, an agreement on mutual assistance in customs matters, and an MOU on comprehensive cooperation in intellectual property. The Korean Presidential Office, Blue House, noted that the investment protection agreement--which provides the institutional basis for investor protection and expanded investment--was finally signed after 16 years of negotiations.

A cooperative system was also established to address the difficulties faced by Korean companies operating in the country and to support their business activities. President Lee asked for Turkmenistan's continued cooperation to ensure that Korean companies could conduct their business operations smoothly.

Logistics and transportation were among the key areas of cooperation highlighted during the summit. Turkmenistan, a littoral state of the Caspian Sea and a strategic hub for East-West transport, is pursuing a national logistics hub strategy known as the "Revival of the Great Silk Road."

The two leaders shared the view that this initiative could serve as a new growth engine connecting Central Asia and the Caspian region, and agreed to expand cooperation in developing logistics and transportation infrastructure.

In the railway sector, discussions focused on linking Turkmenistan’s railway modernization projects with the technology and experience of South Korean companies. President Yoon requested interest and cooperation to ensure South Korean firms could participate in future railway modernization initiatives.

Regarding the shipbuilding industry, both sides assessed the cooperative model of jointly building vessels locally--combining South Korean technical expertise with the Turkmen workforce--and agreed to expand such cooperation in the future. They also reached a consensus on translating the potential for cooperation in new city construction into tangible project outcomes.

Cooperation is also extending to the environment and climate response. Both leaders acknowledged that efficient water resource management and combating desertification are critical challenges for Turkmenistan, given that a significant portion of its territory is desert. Consequently, they agreed to expand cooperation by linking South Korea’s smart water management technology with Turkmenistan’s need to modernize its water infrastructure.
In the forestry sector, they agreed to cooperate on addressing climate change and desertification by sharing South Korea’s experience in forest greening and its know-how in ICT-based digital forest management.

A new framework for cooperation in public security and legal affairs was also established. The summit marked the creation of the first official cooperation channel between the two nations' law enforcement authorities, and both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in these areas, including joint efforts to combat transnational crime.

Expanding Youth and University Exchanges: Strengthening the Foundation for Future-Generation Cooperation:
Cultural and people-to-people exchanges were also highlighted as key pillars of the bilateral relationship. Recognizing that exchanges between future generations form the foundation for the stable and sustainable development of ties, the leaders agreed to broaden the scope of human and academic exchanges, including through intergovernmental cooperation on youth exchanges and expanded university-level interactions.

They also exchanged views on regional and global issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula. President Berdimuhamedov assessed the bilateral cooperation on the international stage--including at the UN--and affirmed that Turkmenistan, as a permanently neutral state, consistently supports the South Korean government's policy regarding the Korean Peninsula.

Signing of 13 Agreements and MOUs in the Presence of the Leaders:
Following the summit, the two leaders oversaw the signing of a total of 13 agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). These documents cover a wide range of areas, including cooperation on industrial plants, infrastructure, transportation, and investment protection; institutional cooperation in customs, intellectual property, and legal affairs; and environmental and climate-related initiatives such as water resource and forestry management.

The state visit included an official welcoming ceremony and summit, as well as a state luncheon and a farewell event. Through this summit, the scope of South Korea-Turkmenistan relations has expanded from a partnership centered on energy and industrial plants to a multi-layered cooperative framework encompassing infrastructure, transportation, shipbuilding, AI, science and technology, the environment, and people-to-people exchanges. The key task moving forward will be the implementation of these signed agreements and MOUs to translate them into concrete projects and tangible outcomes.

By Publisher-Chairman Lee Jon-Young, Feature Editor Andy Hyun