Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have together faced numerous problems of cooperation and economic development in the region. Turkmenistan, on the other hand, has always been rather reticent, as with the difficulties of transit at the borders.
Ashgabat () – A summit of all leaders of Central Asian countries was held on 17 September, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meeting in the “5+1” format to find new opportunities for joint cooperation with Germany and Europe as a whole. Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov said he considers it “timely to strengthen diplomatic relations between Germany and Central Asia” and strongly supports the prospects for economic development in the region with European support.
Observers note that Ashgabat’s foreign policy is always limited to openness and readiness for relations, which is a principle that has been repeatedly reiterated at the UN and at various meetings on the integration of Central Asian countries. In fact, effective decisions on hot issues, such as the necessary agreements on migration, such as the one signed by Scholz together with Uzbek President Šavkat Mirziyoyev, are expected to achieve concrete results.
More generally, the steps taken by Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have made it possible to resolve many problems of cooperation and economic development in the region. Turkmenistan, on the other hand, remains rather reticent, as evidenced by the transit difficulties at the borders; in recent days, for example, dozens of native Uzbeks who wanted to travel to their ethnic homeland for study purposes were detained and sent back. Turkmenistan’s isolation and isolation are also evident in occasions such as the discussion on the Friendship Agreement that has been under discussion since 2022, which has already been signed by the other four countries, while the Turkmen side has promised not to join until the internal procedures are completed, leaving it pending until now.
The agreement is becoming more and more necessary and urgent in the wake of the Russian war in Ukraine and the sanctions that are greatly complicating the economic relations that have always closely linked Central Asia with Russia in all spheres of trade, investment, industry and agriculture, logistics and transport, energy and tourism, and much more. Berdymukhamedov also insisted on “cooperation in our format,” but without going into the practical implementation of this goal.
Turkmen experts, reluctant to speak publicly because of the authoritarian climate in the country, nevertheless say on muted microphones that “the regime only shows real activity in matters that do not require concrete steps, and has no intention of assuming legal and political responsibilities at the interregional and international level, it is just a television show.” According to many observers, Turkmenistan’s traditional “neutrality” “prevents any real development of Turkmen society itself.”
The issue of the return of illegal immigrants is one of the most sensitive issues at present, and the Uzbeks have managed to obtain sufficient guarantees of cooperation from Scholz on this matter, given that there are currently almost 15,000 Uzbek citizens in Germany. On the other hand, there is no official data on the number of Turkmens in Germany, legal or illegal, as Ashgabat does not like to divulge information about its citizens.
The policy of isolation and ethnic-cultural pride is common to all of Central Asia, especially after the end of Soviet rule, and only in recent years have steps been taken towards the integration of the entire region, with Turkmenistan remaining on the sidelines, jealously guarding its own “family sovereignty” of ancient tradition.
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