Sino-NK

Comparisons abound between the DPRK and Turkmenistan, but this hasn’t stopped Seoul from pursuing deeper engagement with the totalitarian Central Asian state. As the ROK pursues parliamentary diplomacy in Central Asia, Turkmenistan has taken ROK National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo’s visit to Ashgabat as a chance to up its game in Central Asia-Korea parliamentary exchanges. 

Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan holds talks with the Speaker of the ROK National Assembly^[1]

The national leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty (People’s Council) of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, met with the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Kim Jin-pyo, who is in Ashgabat on an official visit.

During the negotiations, held in both a narrow format and an extended format, the two sides discussed deepening cooperation in spheres such as trade, economics, energy, transport and logistics, as well as in the field of digitalization and high technologies. The head of the People’s Council emphasized Turkmenistan’s interest in developing multifaceted cooperation with Korea, in particular, in the gas and gas chemical spheres, as well as in transport and shipbuilding.

He also recalled that earlier in Seoul, officials from the two countries exchanged views on strengthening the role of parliamentary diplomacy for the development of multilateral cooperation, the creation of the Central Asia-Korea parliamentary forum and the holding of the first meeting of heads of parliaments in a similar format in September this year in Korea. Noting that a delegation headed by the Chairman of the Mejlis (Parliament) of Turkmenistan will take part in the forum’s proceedings, the national leader of the Turkmen people said that Ashgabat plans to offer to host the second meeting of parliamentary speakers for the 2024 “Central Asia – Korea” summit in Turkmenistan, expressing confidence that the Korean side will support this proposal. Stressing the pressing need to expand inter-parliamentary dialogue, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov floated a proposal to hold the first Turkmen-Korean inter-parliamentary consultative meeting within the framework of the aforementioned forum.

The Chairman of the People’s Council said that President Serdar Berdimuhamedow (Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow’s son – ed.) then signed a decree awarding ROK National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo with the Order of Turkmenistan “Bitaraplyk (‘Neutrality’)”, and congratulated him on receiving the prestigious award. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov solemnly presented the guest with an order to the audience’s applause.

Expressing gratitude for the award, the head of the Korean legislature noted that he would make every effort to further develop cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea.

Original article by Turkmenistan.ru. Translated by Anthony V. Rinna

[1] [Source] Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan holds talks with the Speaker of the ROK National Assembly (Председатель Народного Совета Туркменистана провел переговоры со спикером парламента Республики Корея), Turkmenistan.ru, July 21, 2023, https://www.turkmenistan.ru/ru/articles/47054.html