On 17 July 2026, in Tbilisi, as part of his state visit to Georgia, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov held negotiations with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
The meeting, conducted in both a tete-a-tete format and with expanded delegations, marked a new stage in the diversification of political, trade and economic, as well as cultural and humanitarian ties between Ashgabat and Tbilisi.
The visit culminated in the signing of a substantial package of bilateral documents that lay the foundation for long-term partnership.
Talks Between the President of Turkmenistan and the Prime Minister of Georgia
During the one-on-one meeting, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze emphasized that Georgia attaches great importance to deepening a productive dialogue with Turkmenistan.
In turn, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov highlighted the close cooperation established between the two countries in political-diplomatic, trade-economic, and cultural-humanitarian spheres.
The Berdimuhamedov expressed gratitude to the Georgian side for its consistent support of Turkmenistan’s policy of permanent neutrality and its international initiatives at the United Nations.
During the negotiations, the sides confirmed their readiness to further deepen relations in the political, trade-economic, cultural, and humanitarian spheres.
Particular attention was paid to cooperation in the transport and energy sectors. In this context, the exceptional importance of connectivity and the development of the Middle Corridor was emphasized. The parties expressed their readiness to contribute to the further development of trans-Caspian transport routes.
The expanded-format negotiations with government delegations stressed the continuity of the strategic course whose solid foundation was laid in 2015 during the visit of the National Leader of the Turkmen people.
The Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation was identified as the key mechanism for enhancing business partnership, coordinating the growth of bilateral trade.
Transport and logistics were named as a top strategic priority on the joint agenda. The President of Turkmenistan confirmed readiness to assist Georgia in accessing the markets of Central Asia, South Asia, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Particular attention was paid to the implementation of transit corridors, including the multimodal Lapis Lazuli route (Afghanistan–Turkmenistan–Azerbaijan–Georgia–Türkiye), as well as integration into the TRACECA corridor system.
The President also expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the energy sector and signaled readiness for substantive discussions on future collaboration in this area.
The humanitarian dimension of the talks covered scientific and educational ties, tourism, and intercultural relations.
Continuing the practice of twinning relations, following the partnership between the cities of Arkadag and Telavi, the Turkmen side proposed considering sister-city ties between the major port cities of Turkmenbashi and Batumi.
At the conclusion of the official meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov invited Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to visit Turkmenistan at a convenient time. The Georgian Prime Minister gratefully accepted the invitation and reaffirmed his commitment to the practical implementation of all the initiatives discussed.
Press Conference
Following the official ceremony, the President of Turkmenistan and the Prime Minister of Georgia addressed members of the media, giving a high assessment of the outcomes of the state visit.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze noted that Georgia is closely following the important processes taking place in Turkmenistan in the areas of economic development, expansion of transport and logistics capabilities, and social progress. “The large-scale initiatives and projects implemented in recent years have made a significant contribution to strengthening the country’s infrastructure, expanding economic opportunities, and creating a solid foundation for development,” said the Prime Minister.
Kobakhidze emphasized that there is considerable potential between the two countries for increasing trade and promoting the export of various products. During the negotiations, particular attention was paid to the importance of developing the trans-Caspian international transport route — the “Middle Corridor” — and the need to intensify efforts in this direction, including by attracting additional cargo.
According to the Head of the Georgian Government, the meeting also addressed issues of cooperation in international and multilateral formats.
“We discussed the more effective use of opportunities in the field of tourism, the prospects for increasing tourist flows, and the further strengthening of people-to-people ties. The conversation also touched upon partnership in the fields of culture and education. We discussed cooperation in international and multilateral formats and expressed our readiness to actively continue interaction in this direction in the future,” said the Prime Minister.
In his statement, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said that agreements had been reached to expand political dialogue, strengthen the legal framework for bilateral relations, and pursue consistent diplomatic efforts. He added that Georgia is an important economic partner for Turkmenistan.
Both sides emphasized the vast potential for increasing bilateral trade and developing new areas of partnership. It was highlighted that business communities and private sector structures will play a special role in expanding trade and economic ties. The parties also agreed to diversify and grow mutual trade turnover.
“The transport sector was identified as a strategic priority. The South Caucasus forms part of the Caspian-Black Sea transport and transit corridor,” said the President of Turkmenistan. He stressed that Georgia is regarded as a promising partner in this direction.
The President noted that the joint transport and logistics system currently includes promising projects such as the Lapis Lazuli corridor, involving Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, as well as the Caspian-Black Sea corridor with the participation of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Romania.
The Head of State pointed out significant opportunities for cooperation with Georgia in energy, communications, tourism, agriculture, textiles, construction, and other sectors.
He also drew the media’s attention to the fact that the visit coincided with the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The President proposed marking the 35th anniversary of this historic milestone with broad celebrations next year.
Signed Documents
The main outcome of the high-level meetings was the signing of a Joint Statement by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze.
In addition, a comprehensive package of agreements covering key sectors was signed:
- Programme of Cooperation for 2027–2028 between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia on cooperation in the management and privatization of state property;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Financial Monitoring Service of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan and the Financial Monitoring Service of Georgia on cooperation in the exchange of financial information related to money laundering, financing of terrorism, and financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Culture of Georgia on cultural cooperation;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Main Academic Drama Theatre of Turkmenistan named after Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi and the Shota Rustaveli National Theatre on cooperation;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan named after Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi and the Georgian Association of Palaces and Museums;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan named after Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi and the Royal Asian Society of Georgia;
- Memorandum of Understanding on library affairs between the State Library of the State Cultural Centre of Turkmenistan and the Ilya Chavchavadze National Library of Georgia;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Turkmen National Conservatory named after Maya Kulieva and the Tbilisi State Conservatoire named after Vano Sarajishvili on bilateral cooperation;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons, Labour, Health and Social Protection of Georgia on cooperation in healthcare;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia on cooperation;
- Memorandum of Understanding between Magtymguly Turkmen State University (Turkmenistan) and Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (Georgia);
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Yagshygeldi Kakayev International University of Oil and Gas (Turkmenistan) and the Georgian Technical University;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Turkmen State Institute of Architecture and Construction and the Georgian Technical University;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Institute of Engineering and Transport Communications of Turkmenistan and the Batumi State Maritime Academy (Georgia);
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Industry and Construction Production of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia on further development of industrial cooperation;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the State Maritime and River Transport Service of Turkmenistan and the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia on cooperation in maritime safety;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the State Maritime and River Transport Service of Turkmenistan and the Batumi State Maritime Academy on cooperation in specialist training and maritime education;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Railway Transport of Turkmenistan and Georgian Railways JSC on further strengthening of cooperation.
- A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between the editorial office of the electronic newspaper ‘Turkmenistan: Golden Age’ and the TV company Europe 24 (Georgia) on bilateral cooperation in the exchange of news materials.
During the business forum, more than 50 bilateral meetings were held between business entities of the two countries, resulting in the conclusion of contracts and signing of memoranda.
These deals include:
- Logistics services contract (“Döwrebap ulag merkezi” company)
- Contract for the export of confectionery products to Georgia (“Tibet türkmen”)
- Distributorship agreement (“Gündogar Akymy”)
- Contract for the export of confectionery products to Georgia (“Şerbetli Ak gar”)
- Contract for the export of household chemicals to Georgia (“Täç hil”)
- Memorandum of Understanding on insurance services with JSC “Ygtybarly ätiýaçlandyryş”
- Memorandum of Understanding on the purchase and sale of construction materials with IE “Mizemez gadam”
Upon completion of his state visit to Georgia, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov returned to Ashgabat on 17 July 2026. /// nCa, 18 July 2026