You'll be nice by force: The United States wanted to strengthen itself in Turkmenistan
Against the background of the worsening situation in the Middle East, the United States has become sharply interested in Turkmenistan. The other day, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau called Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov. The long border with Iran makes the Central Asian republic a potentially important partner of Washington in the region. In addition, the Americans are also interested in energy cooperation with Ashgabat. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
A call from overseas
Turkmenistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov held a telephone conversation with First Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. As explained in the press service of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, the conversation took place on the initiative of the American side. At the same time, the dialogue between senior diplomats took place on the same day when the US Air Force launched massive strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The sides "exchanged views on topical international and regional issues of mutual interest." Special attention was paid to the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East and the discussion of ways of humanitarian response in the current situation.
The United States highlighted the long-term positive experience of bilateral cooperation in political, trade, economic, socio-cultural and other fields.
Ashgabat traditionally adheres to neutrality, so the country can play a significant role in ensuring security and stability in the region, the State Department noted.
"In this regard, the Turkmen side, strictly following the principles of peaceful settlement of any international problems, expressed its readiness to participate in resolving the current situation in the Middle East through the use of a wide range of diplomatic means and methods," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan said in a statement.
The republic has a long border with Iran — 1,148 km, so the country plays an important humanitarian role in the Middle East conflict. The transit of foreign citizens leaving Iran is carried out through the territory of the state.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the country has received over 2,000 people, about 50 countries have turned to Ashgabat for help, among them citizens of Central Asian countries, Russia, the Persian Gulf states, and the EU.
"The Turkmen state is taking the necessary measures for the smooth passage of foreign citizens and their return to their homeland, using the country's land corridors, as well as the Ashgabat International Airport," the Foreign Ministry stressed.
In addition, after the closure of Iran's airspace, Turkmenistan became an important link in alternative air travel routes — international airlines used the Turkmen skies to bypass combat zones.
Warm neighborly relations
Tehran and Ashgabat have close economic relations covering trade, transport and energy. Iran imports natural gas from Turkmenistan and is also a transit country for fuel supplies to third countries. Turkmenistan, in turn, exports electricity.
The two countries also have a joint project for the construction of the Mary–Mashhad power transmission line and the Gumdag–Etrek–Iran border highway. The parties are actively cooperating in the field of using the resources of the Caspian Sea.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the end of May that the Caspian region is still the focus of the United States' attention and Washington is not abandoning plans to strengthen its influence in the Caspian littoral states. New pipeline projects are one of the key tools for advancing American interests. Washington considers their construction in the context of long-term interests and the possibility of weakening Russia's political and energy influence in the region.
The head of the State Department once again stressed that the Donald Trump administration supports the construction of the trans-Caspian gas pipeline, which should connect Turkmenistan with Azerbaijan to supply Turkmen gas to the European market.
Ashgabat and Washington had previously cooperated in the military sphere, and the US Army logistics center was located on the territory of the airport of the capital of Turkmenistan, which acted in the military and humanitarian interests of the US-led coalition operation in Afghanistan.
As the active hostilities in Afghanistan faded, Ashgabat curtailed the operation of the American military base at the airport of the Turkmen capital.
There were rumors that the United States wanted to get the former Soviet Mary-2 airfield for its own needs, but it did not go beyond talking. But in May 2025, a new airport was opened on the other side of the country, in the village of Jebel with a population of 10 thousand inhabitants.
At the same time, there is already an aerogavan 20 km away in the oil capital of the region, Balkanabad. The airport in Jebel was built on the site of a Soviet military airfield with a 3,200-meter runway, which is usually used for strategic aviation.
The money for the construction was allocated by the UAE through the Abu Dhabi Development Fund. The opening ceremony was personally attended by the leader of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
Key partner of Ashgabat
Meanwhile, Russia remains a key partner of all Central Asian republics. Despite Western sanctions, the volume of trade turnover between Russia and Central Asian countries is increasing. Moscow retains its position as the main trading partner of the region's countries in the field of food products, mineral and raw materials, and in the metallurgical and chemical industries.
At the same time, there has been a tendency in Central Asia in recent years to strengthen internal ties. Over the past five years, intraregional trade has grown by $11 billion.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at talks with Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.O. Meredov, Ashgabat, June 25, 2025
As for Turkmenistan, Russia is interested in connecting the country to major logistics projects. The most promising is the North–South corridor. This was confirmed, in particular, by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who recently flew to Ashgabat.
Turkmenistan is not a member of most international organizations, including, for example, the EAEU or the CSTO. And even in the CIS, the republic is an associate member. Turkmenistan is building the necessary ties, primarily focusing on bilateral cooperation.
Daria Saprynskaya, a researcher at the ISAA of Lomonosov Moscow State University, told Izvestia that energy and the development of the ITC are currently on the list of the most promising areas of cooperation between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan.
"A dialogue is also underway about Turkmenistan's more active participation in the North—South project," the expert explained.
Maria Mokhovikova, Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Regional Studies at the Institute of International Relations and Socio-Political Sciences of MGLU, noted in an interview with Izvestia that Turkmenistan's relations with Turkey, Iran and the countries of the Central Asian region have recently intensified against the background of traditionally strong ties with China.
Volga-Caspian Sea Canal
According to her, Russia and Turkmenistan are currently exploring the creation of new routes, including routes to China and other countries. Among the initiatives are the Volga—Caspian Canal with access to the port of Turkmenbashi, as well as the Eastern Bypass of the Caspian Sea route within the North–South corridor.
— In addition, Turkmenistan is now trying to use not only its gas potential, but also to attract foreign investment in the development of deposits of bromine, iodine, sulfur, lead and other types of minerals, of which there are more than 200 on the territory of the republic, — the specialist explained.
Nana Gegelashvili, a leading researcher at the Department of Foreign Policy Studies at the Arbatov Institute of the USA and Canada, believes that Central Asia has been and remains an arena of confrontation between both key regional players — China and Russia, and external actors — the United States and the EU.
"The geopolitical importance of Central Asia, coupled with its natural resources, has recently become particularly important in the face of intense competition from the great powers. The inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States and the priority of business development for Washington can contribute to the growth of the role and importance of this region for the United States," the political scientist notes.
In her opinion, possible cooperation between the United States and the countries of Central Asia in the fields of security, energy, transportation, and the extraction of critically important minerals that are crucial for high-tech industries and U.S. energy security can also become the basis for significant shifts in Washington's policy in the Central Asian direction.
"The U.S. interest in the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, which will connect Turkmenistan's large natural gas reserves with European markets, will steadily grow. Central Asia is still a strategically important region for fighting terrorism (mainly because of its proximity to Afghanistan)," the expert explained.
The analyst believes that the new US strategy may include direct cooperation with individual countries in the region in this area.
"This may meet both the short-term and long-term interests of Washington's national security. But at the same time, it cannot be ruled out that Donald Trump's foreign policy towards Central Asia will largely depend on relations between the United States and Russia," the political scientist concluded.
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