Unclassified Brief on India-Turkmenistan Relations

India and Turkmenistan share ancient civilizational and cultural linkages. The archaeological finds in Southern Turkmenistan point to the extensive contacts between the peoples of the Indus Valley civilization and the Bronze Age settlements of Turkmenistan. Remains of Buddhist stupas and statues of Buddha found in the ruins of Merv (an important oasis city on the “Silk Route”, near Mary in Turkmenistan) reveal the historical trade and cultural ties between India and Turkmenistan. “Turkman Gate” in Delhi was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in honour of Sufi saint Shah Turkman Bayabani, who lived in India during the 13th century.

2.      As modern nations, India and Turkmenistan enjoy long-standing bonds of friendship and cooperation. The first Prime Minister of India Shri Jawaharlal Nehru visited Ashgabat in 1955, as part of his tour of the Soviet Union. India was among the first countries to recognize the independence of Turkmenistan in December 1991 and to establish formal diplomatic relations with Turkmenistan in April 1992. Both countries have set up regular dialogue mechanisms including the Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation at the level of Foreign Ministers and the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers. The last meeting of IGC took place in New Delhi in August 2017 while the last FOCs were held in the virtual format in January 2021.

3.      The first President of Turkmenistan H.E. Mr. Saparmurat Niyazov paid official visits to New Delhi in 1992 and 1997. The then Prime Minister of India Shri PV Narasimha Rao visited Ashgabat in September 1995. The then Vice President of India Shri Mohammed Hamid Ansari paid an official visit to Turkmenistan (Ashgabat and Mary) in 2008. The then President of Turkmenistan H.E. Mr. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited New Delhi in May 2010. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Ashgabat in July 2015, as part of his Central Asia tour. During the visit, Prime Minister had inaugurated the first ever “Yoga and Traditional Medicine Centre” in Ashgabat and also unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi. Bilateral MoUs for cooperation in the fields of Chemicals, Science & Technology, Tourism, Yoga & Ayurveda, Defence and Sports were signed during the visit. The then Vice President of India Shri Mohammed Hamid Ansari paid an official visit to Turkmenistan again on 12 December 2015, to take part in the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of “Permanent Neutrality” of Turkmenistan. He also took part in the ground-breaking ceremony of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project in Mary on 13 December 2015. The then Minister of State for External Affairs of India Shri M.J. Akbar took part in the 25th Session of Steering Committee on Implementation of TAPI Pipeline project held in Mary (Turkmenistan) on 22 February 2018. He also took part in the ground-breaking ceremony of the TAPI gas pipeline project in Serhetabad (Turkmenistan). The then President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind was the first Indian President to visit Ashgabat in April 2022. He was also the first foreign Head of State to visit Turkmenistan, after the election of H.E. Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov as the President of Turkmenistan. MoUs for cooperation in the fields of finance, disaster management, culture and arts as well as youth affairs were signed during the visit. An “India Corner” at the Institute of International Relations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan was also inaugurated during the visit

4.      Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan H.E. Mr. Rashid Meredov took part in the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue, chaired by the External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on 5-6 June 2025. On the side lines, he had a bilateral meeting with EAM and also paid a joint courtesy call along with the Foreign Ministers of other Central Asian countries on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He had earlier met EAM in New York (US) in September 2024 on the side lines of 79th UN General Assembly. Deputy Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan Mr. Kerimberdi Gurbanov took part in the 30th CII Partnership Summit held on 14-15 November 2025 in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO Mrs. Chinar Rustamova took part in 4th meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi on in July 2024. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Mr. Ahmed Gurbanov attended the Foreign Ministers’ Session of the 3rd Voice of the Global South Summit chaired by EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar on 17 August 2024 while the Chairman of the State Concern “Turkmengaz”, Mr. Maksat Babayev took part in the Energy Ministers’ Session. The then Deputy Chairman of Cabinet Ministers for Health, Science & Technology, and Education Mr. Nurmuhammet Amannepesov participated in the 1st Voice of the Global South Summit hosted by India in the virtual format in January 2023. The then Secretary of State Security Council of Turkmenistan Mr. Charymyrat Amanov participated in the ‘Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan’ chaired by the National Security Adviser Shri Ajit Doval in New Delhi in November 2021. Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov attended the 6th Ministerial Conference "Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process" held in Amritsar (India) in December 2016. He also visited New Delhi in February 2020 (on transit) and December 2021 (3rd India-Central Asia Dialogue). The then External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj paid a visit to Ashgabat from 7-9 April 2015 to co-chair the 5th meeting of IGC with her Turkmen counterpart H.E. Mr. Rashid Meredov. She called on the then President of Turkmenistan H.E. Mr. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov during the visit.  She visited Ashgabat again in October 2015, August 2018 and September 2018 (transit visits) and had bilateral meetings with the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan H.E. Mr. Rashid Meredov. (List of Bilateral High-Level Visits are at the Annexure).

5.      India and Turkmenistan cooperate closely under the framework of the United Nations. Turkmenistan supports India’s permanent membership in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council while India extends its support for the policy of “Permanent Neutrality” of Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan has been supporting the candidature of India in the elections of various UN bodies.  In September 2024, the UN General Assembly had adopted a resolution jointly initiated by India and Turkmenistan on annual holding of the “UN Friendship Games”.

6.      India and Turkmenistan also interact with each other closely under the framework of the India-Central Asia Dialogue. The then President of Turkmenistan H.E. Mr. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov took part in the 1st India-Central Asia Summit held in the virtual format on 27 January 2021, under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. A Turkmen delegation led by the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Turkmenistan Mr. Mergen Gurdov participated in the India-Central Asia Business Council meeting, jointly organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Ministry of External Affairs of India in New Delhi on 5 June 2025. Turkmenistan participated in the 1st India-Central Asia Culture Ministers meeting (held virtually in April 2023), Joint Working Group on Afghanistan (held in New Delhi in March 2023), and Joint Working Group on Chabahar Port (held in Mumbai in April 2023). Turkmenistan also sent 20-member youth delegations to participate in the 2nd and 3rd editions of the “Central Asia Youth Delegation Programme” in India in March 2024 and March 2025 respectively. A 4-member Turkmen media delegation visited India (New Delhi and Bengaluru) in April 2019, as part of the “Familiarization Visit for the Journalists from Central Asia”.

7.      Despite the challenges related to the lack of direct overland connectivity, India-Turkmenistan trade has grown steadily in recent years. Major items of export from India to Turkmenistan are pharmaceuticals, sugar, bovine meat, sugar, machinery, electronic and electrical items. Turkmenistan’s exports to India mostly comprise fertilizers, mineral fuels and inorganic chemicals. The following are the figures of bilateral trade since FY 2020-21.

(in US$ million)

*Source: Department of Commerce, GoI

8.      India joined the Agreement on the Establishment of an International Transport and Transit Corridor (Ashgabat Agreement) in February 2018. The Agreement envisages establishment of an international transport and transit corridor between Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan has supported the usage of Chabahar Port (Iran) for trade with India and also expressed its interest to join the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

9.      An “India-Turkmenistan Information Technology Centre”, set up in at the Magtymguly State University in Ashgabat with the assistance of the Government of India was inaugurated in 2011, by the then Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology Shri Sachin Pilot. In 2002, an ' India- Turkmenistan Industrial Training Centre' was established at the Institute of Architecture & Construction in Ashgabat. The project was executed by Hindustan Machine Tools (International) Ltd., Bengaluru and the centre was since upgraded with the supply of new machinery from India in August 2017.

10.    India has been offering various capacity building training programs for the officials of Government of Turkmenistan under the ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) Programme and also scholarships for Turkmen students to pursue higher education in India under ICCR Scholarship Scheme. In February 2021, 16 paratroopers from the Turkmen Armed Forces underwent skydiving training in Bakloh (India) after which an 8-member team visited from India to train the paratroopers in Turkmenistan during August – September 2021.

11.    Indian culture, dance, music, Yoga, Ayurveda and Bollywood films are quite popular in Turkmenistan. Bollywood movies are routinely shown on the Turkmen TV. A local yoga teacher sponsored by ICCR, has been conducting Yoga classes at the “Yoga and Traditional Medicine Centre” in Ashgabat. International Day of Yoga is celebrated in Turkmenistan every year since 2015. Further, Hindi language is taught at the Azadi Institute of World Languages in Ashgabat. A statue of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was installed at “Magtymguly Cultural Complex” in Ashgabat in May 2024. Representatives of State Committee of Turkmenistan for TV/Radio Broadcasting & Cinematography visited India in April 2024 for filming a documentary on the 18th century Turkmen poet Magtymguly Pyragy. A 7-member Kathak dance troupe from ICCR visited Turkmenistan in January 2024. An 11-member Turkmen dance group “Nazli” participated in the 9th India International Dance & Music Festival held in New Delhi in October 2023. Indian Bihu folk-dance troupe ‘Gandarbha Kala Kendra’ from Assam participated in the International Folk-Dance Festival ‘Awaza – 2023’ in June 2023. An 8-member Bharatnatyam troupe from ICCR visited Turkmenistan in January 2023 and performed in Ashgabat and Mary. An ICCR sponsored Folk Dance Group led by Shri Sukhvinder Singh visited Turkmenistan from 2 -8 June 2025 for cultural performances during International Dance and Folklore festival in Awaza tourist zone and Ashgabat.

12.     The 4th round of India-Turkmenistan Consular Dialogue co-chaired by JS (CPV), MEA and Head of Department of Consular Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan was held in Ashgabat on 24 January 2025, to discuss issues related to visa and consular matters affecting nationals of both the countries. In June 2025, more than 100 Indian nationals were evacuated from Iran through Turkmenistan, as part of “Operation Sindhu”. About 100 Indian nationals, mostly professionals/workers in the local construction, textiles and oil and gas sectors live in Turkmenistan. “Turkmenistan Airlines” operates direct flights between Ashgabat-New Delhi twice a week on every Wednesday and Thursday.

Annexure

List of High-Level Bilateral Visits
 From India to Turkmenistan

From Turkmenistan to India

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