Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are neighboring countries in Central Asia and have enjoyed close relations throughout history. Both countries declared their independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequently developed friendly relations in line with mutual interests. Relations between the two countries are based on linguistic and cultural similarities, historical ties and a common geographical location. Both belong to Turkic peoples and speak Turkic languages. These similarities have contributed significantly to the feelings of understanding and closeness between the peoples of the two countries.
Economic relations between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan include a significant level of cooperation compared to other Turkic countries in Central Asia. Both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan seek to develop economic cooperation based on historical and cultural ties, and energy cooperation forms the basis of economic relations between the two countries.
Both countries are rich in energy resources. Turkmenistan is one of the world’s major producers of natural gas reserves, while Kazakhstan has significant oil reserves. Therefore, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have significant opportunities for cooperation in the exploration, extraction, transportation and marketing of energy resources. Both countries are working on and investing in natural gas and oil pipeline projects.
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are also committed to strengthening their trade relations. The two countries trade goods and services in agricultural products, construction materials, textiles, chemicals and many other sectors. In addition, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are taking encouraging steps to increase investment opportunities and are organizing many business forums. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan focus on transit and logistics cooperation due to their strategic location in Central Asia. The two countries continue to work on developing transportation corridors and rail links to facilitate transit trade.
The two states attach importance to the agricultural sector and agricultural trade between the parties is increasing day by day. Both countries have the potential for cooperation in areas such as trading agricultural products and sharing agricultural technologies. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan also support cooperation in the field of cultural exchange and education, and conduct student exchange programs between universities and joint programs for scientific research. Countries with rich history and culture, such as Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, have great tourism potential. For this reason, joint studies are carried out to develop tourism in the region through joint tourism projects.
As neighboring countries in Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan maintain close dialogue and jointly implement many economic projects. The Trans-Caspian Corridor is one of these projects and brings the relations between the two countries closer in economic terms. The Trans-Caspian Corridor refers to a transportation and trade corridor connecting the countries around the Caspian Sea. This corridor aims to strengthen trade and economic relations, especially between Asia and Europe. The main objective of the Trans-Caspian Corridor is to facilitate access to Europe via Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan, especially to Turkey, Georgia and other parts of Europe. To this end, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan aim to increase their trade and economic cooperation by developing railway lines, highways and other transportation infrastructure.
The Trans-Caspian Corridor consists of main elements such as ports, maritime transportation and logistics. Through the Trans-Caspian Corridor, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan will realize the transportation project through the Caspian Sea. This project aims to facilitate maritime transportation between the Central Asian countries and their inland regions by using ports and connecting routes on the shores of the Caspian Sea. At the same time, ports east of the Caspian Sea aim to increase regional and international trade by connecting the Western World and regions such as Turkey. This will improve the logistics infrastructure between the Central Asian hinterland and the Caspian Sea coast and facilitate trade and transportation between the countries. In particular, the export and import of natural gas, oil and other products between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan will be facilitated. This project facilitates intercontinental transportation and promotes regional economic integration.
The potential advantages of the Trans-Caspian Corridor include increased trade, regional integration, more efficient transportation and energy transportation. The corridor will facilitate exports and imports between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, boosting trade and helping these countries gain easier access to world markets.
As a result, the Trans-Caspian Corridor will contribute to the economic growth of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan as it will strengthen cooperation and regional integration among Central Asian countries. At the same time, the project has the strategic importance of facilitating access to the energy resources of the Caspian Sea. Since Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are countries with rich energy resources such as natural gas and oil, they will realize energy exports through this corridor by realizing economic cooperation in the field of energy and will make significant contributions to the world economy, especially their own economies.
