President Yoon Suk Yeol stated on September 15 that "Turkmenistan's abundant resources can lead to high-value industries and jobs, and that South Korea will work together to make the land connecting the Caspian Sea and Central Asia a new route for logistics and trade."
On this day, President Yoon held a summit with Serdar Berdymukhamedov, the President of Turkmenistan, who is on a state visit to South Korea for the first Central Asia-Korea Summit. They discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations and expand practical cooperation.
During their meeting, the two leaders agreed to strengthen their relationship based on close communication and cooperation. President Yoon noted, "Since establishing a mutually beneficial partnership in 2008, we have built a solid foundation for practical cooperation over the years. Now, we should work together to create tangible results that can be felt in the growth of both countries and the lives of our people."
He emphasized, "Our government will firmly support maximizing each other's strengths to open new opportunities."
According to a written briefing by Chief Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung, the two leaders agreed to expand existing cooperation focused on energy and plants to include infrastructure such as railways, shipbuilding, new city construction, water resources, forestry, artificial intelligence, and science and technology. President Yoon requested special attention and support for South Korean companies to continue participating in Turkmenistan's large-scale plant and infrastructure projects based on their accumulated experience and technological expertise.
As a result of the summit, 13 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were signed. Notably, the investment protection agreement, which serves as the institutional foundation for protecting and promoting investors from both countries, was finalized and signed after 16 years of negotiations.
The agreement includes principles for fair and equitable treatment of investors from the other country, national treatment and most-favored-nation treatment, compensation principles in the event of expropriation, investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) procedures, and guarantees for the free remittance of investment funds.
MOUs were also signed in the fields of chemical industry, plants, and infrastructure. The two countries agreed to share policy, technology, and human resources information and to establish a cooperation network between governments and research institutions to discover new projects. They will also expand cooperation in oil, gas, and chemical industries, construction, transportation, logistics, as well as smart cities and digital urban infrastructure.
The two leaders expressed agreement that Turkmenistan's national logistics hub strategy, the 'Revival of the Great Silk Road,' will become a new growth engine connecting Central Asia and the Caspian Sea. President Yoon requested President Berdymukhamedov's cooperation to allow South Korean companies to participate in railway modernization projects.
In the shipbuilding sector, they agreed to expand reciprocal cooperation methods where South Korean technicians and Turkmen personnel jointly construct vessels locally. They also plan to translate the potential for cooperation in railway and new city construction into concrete project outcomes.
In the water resources sector, they will collaborate on modernizing infrastructure such as the Karakum Canal, smart water management using AI, and water reuse. They also agreed to share South Korea's experience in forest restoration and ICT-based digital forest management to jointly address climate change and desertification.
Through cooperation in customs and intellectual property rights, they will strengthen the stable operational foundation for South Korean companies operating locally. For the first time, official cooperation channels between law enforcement authorities of both countries will be established to jointly address transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and money laundering.
President Yoon expressed gratitude for the support provided to South Korean citizens and their families who were safely evacuated through Turkmenistan during the urgent situation in Iran last June and this March.
He remarked, "The warm hand extended during difficult moments truly reflects the deep trust and friendship between our two countries."
President Berdymukhamedov emphasized that this is his first state visit to South Korea since taking office and expressed hope that the visit will serve as a meaningful opportunity to further develop bilateral cooperation. He also stated that Turkmenistan values the development of friendly cooperation with South Korea.
In particular, he officially expressed support for the 'E.N.D Initiative,' which is derived from the first letters of the English words for Exchange, Normalization, and Denuclearization, proposed by President Yoon.
President Berdymukhamedov reiterated his consistent position that all issues on the Korean Peninsula should be resolved through peaceful dialogue and diplomatic means.
The two leaders also agreed that expanding cultural and human exchanges, as well as cooperation between youth and universities, will underpin the stable and sustainable development of bilateral relations.
Chief Spokesperson Kang stated, "The government plans to take follow-up measures to ensure that the agreements and MOUs lead to tangible results that the people can feel, such as expanding cooperation in plants and transportation, protecting investments, and responding to climate change."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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