Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov hosted an official visit from U.S. Special Envoy for Central Asian Affairs Sergio Gor and then-Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll in Ashgabat in January 2026, during which he emphasized the importance of mutually beneficial cooperation, especially on trade and security.
Gor and Driscoll also “held substantive meetings with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense,” reported Business Turkmenistan, during which they “discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of security and reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace and stability in Central Asia.”
Turkmenistan is also bolstering ties with its Central Asian neighbors through multinational formats, such as the C5+1, and bilateral relationships. The C5+1 process includes joint meetings between the five Central Asian states and the United States.
In November 2025, President Berdimuhamedov visited Kazakhstan, where he and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reaffirmed their countries’ strategic partnership and shared historic and cultural roots, while finalizing an assortment of 11 intergovernmental agreements.
Turkmenistan cooperates with regional and international partners on issues that include trade and security, while maintaining its long-standing policy of positive neutrality and nonalignment. Recent developments suggest a cautious but potentially significant expansion of engagement with partners such as the U.S., other Central Asian states and countries in the Middle East.
Over the years, U.S. diplomats have made regular visits to Turkmenistan, and the two countries have cooperated on border security and fighting drug trafficking. In May 1994, Turkmenistan was the first country to join the then-nascent U.S. Partnership for Peace program. Recently, Ashgabat has increased discussions with Washington on border security, counterterrorism and regional stability.
Sources: Caspian News, The Times of Central Asia, Business Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan Today, The Astana Times