Turkmenistan is developing its relations with global markets on the basis of openness, diversification and integration into internationally accepted legal frameworks. A key part of this effort is the country’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
An update on the progress of Turkmenistan’s WTO accession process was provided by Atageldi Haljanov, Head of the Department of International Economic Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, at a briefing for representatives of the diplomatic corps and foreign and state media in Ashgabat on 18 September 2026.
Turkmenistan obtained observer status at the WTO in July 2020. According to Haljanov, this marked the practical starting point of the accession process. The decision to grant Turkmenistan observer status was adopted on 22 July 2020 at a meeting of the WTO General Council in Geneva.
Haljanov noted that 2026 has marked a significant acceleration in the country’s preparations for accession.
In May, Turkmenistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov held talks with the Director of the WTO Accessions Division Maika Oshikawa to discuss the next steps in the country’s accession process.
“As a result of these contacts, the Turkmen side proposed specific organizational solutions, namely to establish a national negotiating group that would take responsibility for conducting the accession negotiations, as well as to designate a charing state of the WTO Working Party on Turkmenistan,” he said.
Turkmenistan has also begun putting in place the institutional and documentary framework needed for the negotiations.
“As for the legislative framework, it is no longer just on paper: a specialized department has been established at the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, as well as a working group to prepare the memorandum on Turkmenistan’s foreign trade regime,” the foreign ministry’s official said.
He explained that the memorandum is a key document in the accession process, providing the basis for WTO members to submit questions to the country seeking to join the organization.
Another area of work is the modernization of the statistical system and the alignment of legislation with requirements related to WTO membership.
“An important independent confirmation has also come from international financial institutions: in June 2026, during consultations with Ashgabat, representatives of the IMF gave a positive assessment of the work carried out by the Turkmen side on the harmonization of legislation and modernization of the statistical system,” Haljanov said.
He stressed the particular importance of statistics and accounting in the WTO accession process, describing them as “one of the most labor-intensive sections of the accession negotiating dossier.”
According to the Turkmen side, the process has therefore moved beyond the initial observer stage and into the establishment of a concrete framework for accession negotiations.
“The observer stage has been completed, an institutional structure for negotiations has been established, the key negotiating document has been prepared, and the process has received a positive external expert assessment,” Haljanov said.
He described the WTO accession process as a step-by-step effort requiring a comprehensive set of practical measures.
“And this is precisely the marathon we are talking about: not general words, but a sequence of concrete, verifiable steps,” the MFA representative emphasized. ///nCa, 18 September 2026