On Thursday, 9 July 2026, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov received a US delegation led by Steve Daines, a member of the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and Senator from Montana, who is currently visiting Ashgabat, TDH reports.
Steve Daines conveyed greetings and best wishes to the head of state from US President Donald Trump.
President Berdimuhamedov extended reciprocal wishes to the American leader, expressing confidence that the Senator’s visit would contribute to the further development of Turkmen-American relations.
During the talks, the parties noted the progressive development of bilateral cooperation across political-diplomatic, trade-economic, and cultural-humanitarian spheres.
The President highlighted the intensification of political dialogue, recalling his working visit to Washington to participate in the “Central Asia + USA” summit and his meeting with Donald Trump at that time. The role of the visit of the National Leader of the Turkmen people to Florida in February this year was also noted.
Special attention was paid to economic cooperation. Berdimuhamedov confirmed Turkmenistan’s readiness to expand interaction with the US in the fuel and energy complex, transport industry, financial and banking sector, advanced technologies, and artificial intelligence.
It was noted that, possessing rich reserves of natural resources, Turkmenistan is implementing a strategy to diversify energy supply routes, advocating for the development of mutually beneficial partnerships based on an equal consideration of the interests of producers, consumers, and transit countries.
Touching upon the energy sector, President emphasized that Turkmenistan highly appreciates the attention and support provided by the US for the implementation of the promising transnational gas pipeline project Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI). Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that this project will contribute to economic development and strengthen cooperation in the region.
The meeting highlighted the activities of the Turkmenistan–US Business Council, which remains an important platform for developing business contacts. A recent meeting of the Council in Ashgabat enabled Turkmen and American companies to discuss new areas of cooperation.
The sides also reaffirmed their interest in further developing cooperation in the fields of education, science, and culture. In particular, they noted the continuation of educational exchanges, cooperation between universities of the two countries, and the implementation of projects under the US Department of State’s “Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation” program.
In conclusion of the meeting, President Berdimuhamedov confirmed Turkmenistan’s readiness to develop long-term cooperation with the United States. /// nCa, 10 July 2026