Turkmenistan's difficult integration

Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have together faced many problems in the cooperation and economic development of the region. Turkmenistan, on the other hand, always appears to be rather reticent, as in transit difficulties at the borders.

Ašgabat (AsiaNews) - On 17 September a summit was held of all the leaders of the Central Asian countries, brought together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the ‘5+1’ format to find new opportunities for joint cooperation with Germany and Europe as a whole. The President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, intervened by saying that he considers it ‘opportune to strengthen diplomatic relations between Germany and Central Asia’, and strongly supports the prospects of economic development in the region with European support.

Observers point out that in Ašgabat's foreign policy, openness and readiness for relations are always limited to statements about ‘strengthening diplomatic relations’, a principle that has also been reiterated on several occasions at the UN and at various meetings for the integration of Central Asian countries. Effective decisions on burning issues, such as the necessary agreements on migration, like the one signed by Scholz together with the President of Uzbekistan, Šavkat Mirziyoyev, are actually hoped for in order to achieve concrete results.

More generally, the steps taken by Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have made it possible to solve many problems in the region's economic cooperation and development. Turkmenistan, on the other hand, still appears to be rather reticent, as in the transit difficulties at the borders; in recent days, for example, dozens of Uzbek natives of the country, who intended to travel to their ethnic homeland for study purposes, were stopped and sent back. The Turkmen closure and isolation is also evident on occasions such as the discussion on the Friendship Agreement under discussion since 2022, which has already been signed by the other four countries, while the Turkmen side has promised to join only at the end of the internal procedures, leaving it pending until today.

The Agreement is becoming more and more necessary and urgent as a result of the Russian war in Ukraine and the sanctions that are greatly complicating the economic relations that have always closely linked Central Asia to Russia in all areas of trade, investment, industry and agriculture, logistics and transport, energy and tourism, and much more. Berdymukhamedov in turn insisted on ‘cooperation in our format’, but without going into the practical realisation of this goal.

Turkmen experts, who are reluctant to speak out in the open due to the very authoritarian climate in the country, nevertheless express the opinion at microphones off that ‘the regime only shows real activity in issues that do not require concrete steps, and does not intend to take legal and political responsibility at the interregional and international level, they are just television catwalks’. Turkmenistan's traditional ‘neutrality’, according to many observers, ‘prevents any real development of Turkmen society itself’.

The question of the return of illegal migrants is one of the most sensitive issues today, and the Uzbeks have managed to obtain adequate guarantees of cooperation from Scholz in this regard, considering that there are currently almost 15,000 Uzbek citizens in Germany. On the other hand, there is no official data on the number of Turkmen on German territory, legal or illegal, as Ašgabat does not like to divulge information about its citizens.

The policy of isolation and ethnic-cultural pride is common to the whole of Central Asia, especially following the end of Soviet rule, and only in recent years are steps being taken towards the integration of the whole region, with Turkmenistan remaining on the sidelines, jealously guarding its own ‘family sovereignty’ of ancient tradition.