The visit of the President of Turkmenistan, Mr. Serdar Berdymukhamedov, to Uzbekistan, held on July 14-15, 2022, has taken its place on the agenda of the international community as an extremely important visit due to its contribution to the regional cooperation, peace and prosperity environment in Central Asia and to the integration processes of the Turkish World. In addition, it is possible to say that the visit includes developments that contribute to regional cooperation processes based on South Asia-Central Asia and the South Asia-Central Asia-Caspian Sea-Caucasus-Turkey-Europe route, that is, the Middle Corridor.
It includes the signing of 19 agreements between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on the occasion of Mr. Berdymukhamedov’s visit, confirming the commitment to the development and deepening of multifaceted co-operation and strategic partnership relations between the two countries.[1]
One of the most important agreements reflecting the commitment to this issue is the fact that the two countries have reached a historic agreement on the use of the Amu Darya River. The fact that the President of Uzbekistan, Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, interpreted the agreement as “a development that will ensure the rational use of water and energy resources in the region” clearly demonstrated the importance the parties attach to co-operation.[2]
Recalling the Organization of Turkic States’ decision to boost bilateral relations among member states for the sake of accelerated integration processes in the Turkish World during the Istanbul Summit of 12 November 2021, the contacts on the Ashgabat-Tashkent line and the signed agreements are key steps in terms of the Turkic World integration processes. The agreement between the two countries amounts to $451 million.[3]
On the other hand, it is obvious that the meeting between Mr. Mirziyoyev and Mr. Berdimuhamedov in Goksaray in Tashkent will also have implications in the context of the Middle Corridor, a joint project of the Turkic World. Because Uzbekistan wants to open up to the West via the Turkmenistan-Caspian Sea connection, while Turkmenistan wants to increase its natural gas exports to Western countries by using the same corridor.
In addition, Mr. Berdymukhamedov’s visit to Tashkent should be noted as an event that will serve stability based in Central Asia-South Asia. Because both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are borders with Afghanistan. This state of borders clearly also risks destabilizing Central Asia over security issues based in Afghanistan. But both countries run a principled public diplomacy that prioritizes human life in response to the Afghanistan problem and are constructive in their efforts to assist the country in preventing the deepening of the crisis in Afghanistan. For this reason, it is predictable that the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan rapprochement will increase efforts towards achieving permanent peace in Afghanistan. Indeed, Mr. Mirziyoyev invited Mr. Berdymukhamedov to be the guest of honor at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where regional governments are meeting to help build regional security. This heralds that Turkmenistan will continue to develop its contacts with international organizations, especially the SCO, so as not to cast a shadow over its status as a permanent neutrality.
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, understandably, are contributing constructively to the Turkic World integration processes and see this as an opportunity to expand to the West via the Middle Corridor. On the other hand, it serves to enhance regional co-operation through international organizations such as SCO, such as Russia and China.
In short, the common position that Ashgabat and Tashkent internalize in the context of foreign policy involves a multi-vector diplomacy that looks at the balance between power centers. This is why the expansion and deepening of the relations between the two countries means that the multi-vector foreign policy approach of Ashgabat and Tashkent, and the Central Asian capitals in general, will be maintained.
The mentioned foreign policy approach also brings about reform processes in the domestic policies of the actors. As it is known, Uzbekistan is carrying out extremely important reforms under the leadership of Shavkat Mirziyoyev as part of the Third Renaissance period. These reforms include Uzbekistan’s opening up to the world and achieving breakthroughs in liberalization and democratization, and are reflected in domestic policy in the form of increasing social well-being in the economic sense.
Turkmenistan received the recognition of Turkmen as the “Leader of the Nation” and brought a new dynamic to the state administration with the election of Mr. Serdar Berdymukhamedov, the President of the Turkmen people who gave the title of “Son of the Nation” when Mr. Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov withdrew from office in a bid to rejuvenate politics while he was alive and healthy. Thus, the visit of President of Turkmenistan Mr. Berdymukhamedov to Tashkent indicates that similar reform processes and development moves in Uzbekistan can be achieved in Turkmenistan.
In this context, following a meeting between Mr. Berdymukhamedov and Mr. Mirziyoyev, the statement made by the two leaders in a joint statement is quite remarkable:[4]
“The Presidents of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan reiterated their commitment to strengthening the role of women who play a key role in ensuring gender equality and peace and harmony in society and in full utilization of human potential in accordance with their sustainable development objectives.”
Through the statement, the two leaders discussed the development of women’s rights within the framework of gender equality and associated it with both increasing social peace and harmony and the efficient use of their country’s human potential. So it can be said that both countries will carry out significant reforms at the point of women’s rights, and that these reforms will move in parallel with the liberalization steps, as part of the democratization process.
At the same time, the reforms reflect the will of both states to achieve their economic goals, as the countries aim to ensure the full capacity of manpower. More importantly, this approach clearly demonstrates the commitment both countries are taking to make and take steps towards Westernization.
As a result, Mr. Berdymukhamedov’s visit to Uzbekistan is a concrete statement of will for a period of strong cooperation, especially in Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan relations, and in general, regional cooperation is a development that serves stability and prosperity. Moreover, the cooperation between the two countries also reflects the Decisiveness of the Central Asian states in their liberalization breakthroughs. At the same time, the two countries have once again confirmed that they will continue this process with a multi-vector foreign policy understanding, which is their most important strategy that serves to protect their independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
[1] “Президент Туркменистана встретился с председателем Сената Олий Мажлиса”, Central Asia, https://centralasia.news/16219-prezident-turkmenistana-vstretilsja-s-predsedatelem-senata-olij-mazhlisa.html, (Date of Accession: 16.07.2022).
[2] “Узбекистан и Туркменистан подписали “историческое соглашение по Амударье””, Podrobn, https://podrobno.uz/cat/politic/uzbekistan-i-turkmenistan-podpisali-istoricheskoe-soglashenie-po-amudare/, (Date of Accession: 16.07.2022).
[3] “Завершился государственный визит Сердара Бердымухамедова в Узбекистан”, Turkmen Portal, https://turkmenportal.com/blog/49503/zavershilsya-gosudarstvennyi-vizit-serdara-berdymuhamedova-v-uzbekistan, (Date of Accession: 16.07.2022).
[4] “Мирзиёев и Бердымухамедов договорились продвигать гендерное равенство и расширять права женщин”, Central Asia, https://centralasia.media/news:1793131, (Date of Accession: 16.07.2022).
