TURKMENISTAN PRESIDENT, KING, STRENGTHEN BILATERAL RELATIONS -

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BY King’s Office Correspondents

NEW YORK, USA – The President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, yesterday paid a courtesy visit to His Majesty the King ahead of the official opening of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) today.

The meeting took place at the Mandarin Hotel and was attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Pholile Shakantu, the Eswatini Ambassador to the UN, Thamie Dlamini, Prince Gcina and Prince Lindani.

During the talks, His Majesty congratulated Turkmenistan for its upcoming Independence anniversary on 27 September, 2025, among other mutual areas of interest between the two countries.

The meeting follows His Majesty’s recent working visit to Turkmenistan last month, where the two countries formally established diplomatic relations aimed at enhancing cooperation in economic diversification, sustainable development and peacebuilding.

Both landlocked nations, sharing membership in international organisations such as the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations, seek to address common challenges such as trade vulnerabilities and climate-related issues by utilising Turkmenistan’s expertise in natural gas and desert agriculture alongside Eswatini’s development objectives.

The agreement was signed by Turkmenistan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs, HE Rasit Meredow, and Eswatini’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Pholile Shakantu.

Following this signing, the two countries initiated high-level discussions to transform their zero-trade status into a cooperative economic and technological partnership.

The talks focused on multiple sectors including ICT, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, infrastructure and energy, aiming to foster mutual growth and formalise agreements for collaboration in the following areas:

• On technology and ICT collaboration: Eswatini expressed interest in partnering with Turkmenistan on space and satellite technology, data centres and manufacturing complex electronic products, with plans to formalise cooperation and participate in Turkmenistan’s ICT exhibition.
• In energy and infrastructure development: Both countries highlighted energy cooperation and sustainable solutions, with Eswatini proposing bitumen sales for regional markets and exploring Turkmenistan’s raw material stock exchange for trade opportunities.

• On trade in textiles and agriculture: Discussions included Eswatini’s interest in importing cotton from Turkmenistan and exporting agricultural products, while Turkmenistan showed enthusiasm for benefiting from Eswatini’s growing textile sector and exploring wheat and rice grain trade.

• Mining, oil, and sugar sector cooperation: Eswatini invited Turkmenistan to explore its mineral resources and discussed securing fuel reserves through Turkmenistan’s raw materials, alongside plans to export sugar to Turkmenistan, with positive responses from Turkmenistan’s ministers.

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