The state visit of President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the Republic of Kazakhstan has become a landmark event that gave a powerful impetus to the development of bilateral relations, including in the scientific and educational sphere. This was highlighted by Turkmenistan’s Minister of Education Jumamurat Gurbangeldiyev in an article published in the newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan.
During the visit, constructive talks were held between the education ministers of the two countries. The parties thoroughly discussed prospects for strengthening Turkmen-Kazakh partnership.
Particular attention was paid to the development of direct academic ties between higher education institutions.
Joint educational programs, networked master’s and doctoral programs in priority areas such as energy, logistics, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, agricultural and engineering sciences were recognized as highly promising.
A separate strategic focus was cooperation in digital transformation and artificial intelligence. Turkmenistan proposed to Kazakhstan counterparts the creation of a joint working platform for integrating AI into the educational process.
The platform could include the development of AI modules for school and university curricula, retraining of teaching staff, implementation of educational analytics systems, and the elaboration of ethical standards for the use of artificial intelligence. A practical first step could be the organization of a joint seminar or summer school on artificial intelligence for teachers and students.
A significant part of the discussions was devoted to science and innovation. Turkmenistan put forward an initiative to establish close interaction between technology parks, business incubators, and commercialization centers of scientific developments in both countries, launch joint acceleration programs, organize exchanges of startup teams, and develop cooperation in the fields of green technologies and the digital economy.
Cooperation in school education remains no less important — the development of inclusive practices, work with children with special educational needs, exchange of experience between teachers and administrators, and the holding of thematic seminars and internships.
An agreement was reached to continue coordination within international studies of education quality — PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS — to further improve national teaching methodologies and assessment of academic achievements.
Kazakhstan showed particular interest in Turkmenistan’s practice of annually providing all first-graders with domestically produced “Bilimli” laptops.
Considerable attention was given to youth and children’s projects: plans include expanding creative festivals, language camps, science competitions, and other joint events aimed at strengthening friendship between the younger generations of the two countries.
As a result of the state visit, a substantial package of bilateral documents was signed in the humanitarian sphere. They include:
- Agreement on Cooperation in the Cultural and Humanitarian Sphere between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
- Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Science between the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan and the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
- Memorandum of Cooperation between the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Education and Sports and the Non-Profit Joint-Stock Company “Kazakh Academy of Sport and Tourism”;
- Memorandum of Cooperation between the Turkmen State Institute of Culture and the Non-Profit Joint-Stock Company “International University of Tourism and Hospitality”.
These documents create a solid legal foundation for implementing all the initiatives discussed and elevate Turkmen-Kazakh cooperation in education, science, and youth policy to a qualitatively new level.
///nCa, 28 November 2025