Indonesia and Turkmenistan Agree to Strengthen Strategic Cooperation Amid Global Uncertainty

Indonesia and Turkmenistan have agreed to a series of strategic cooperation agendas in the fields of politics, energy, and multilateralism to strengthen bilateral ties within the framework of the South-South partnership amid global uncertainty. This emerged from the inaugural Senior Officials Meeting between the two countries in Jakarta, with the Indonesian delegation led by Santo Darmosumarto, Director General of Asia Pacific and Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Turkmenistan delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Gurbanov. “Amid an increasingly fragmented global order, the Bandung Spirit needs to evolve beyond historical symbolism into a tangible framework for South-South Cooperation, in line with Indonesia’s independent and active foreign policy and Turkmenistan’s policy of permanent neutrality,” Santo said in a written statement confirmed on Wednesday. He stated that cooperation between Indonesia and Turkmenistan must contribute to “strengthening peace, sustainable development, humanitarian solidarity, and realising a more inclusive global order.” During the dialogue, both sides reviewed the implementation of bilateral agreements and agreed to accelerate the completion of legal instruments, including visa exemptions for diplomatic and service passports, inter-agency cooperation between prosecutors’ offices, and cooperation on combating money laundering and terrorism financing. In the economic field, the two delegations agreed that collaboration in the energy sector must continue to be built through energy infrastructure development, technology transfer, capacity building, and commercial partnerships. Both sides also welcomed the strengthening of interaction between the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and its Turkmenistan counterpart, and exchanged invitations to participate in Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) 2026 and the Turkmenistan Investment Forum (TIF). The delegations also agreed to strengthen people-to-people interaction through cooperation in higher education, research, tourism, and connectivity. The Turkmenistan delegation expressed its desire to serve as a bridge in enhancing interaction between ASEAN and Central Asian countries. Indonesia welcomed Turkmenistan’s goodwill and encouraged the country to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). Indonesia and Turkmenistan also agreed to continue strengthening coordination at the United Nations and other international forums on issues of common interest.