Relationship dossier
Afghanistan
Turkmenistan
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation in energy and transport, with major projects facing implementation uncertainty
Afghanistan toward Turkmenistan
+40Afghan governments have supported the TAPI pipeline and cross-border transport links with Turkmenistan, including the railway connection to Aqina. These initiatives reflect concrete Afghan engagement in regional energy and transport cooperation.
Turkmenistan toward Afghanistan
+45Turkmenistan has supplied electricity to Afghanistan and supported energy and transport links, including the TAPI pipeline and the railway connection to Aqina. These projects have provided practical forms of bilateral cooperation.
Overall relationship
+40The relationship has a durable cooperative foundation in electricity supply, proposed gas transit, and cross-border transport projects. The scale of planned infrastructure is significant, but delays and uncertainty over implementation—particularly following Afghanistan’s 2021 political transition—temper the depth of the partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Afghanistan and Turkmenistan have pursued practical cooperation in energy and transport. Turkmenistan supplies electricity to Afghanistan, and the two governments have supported the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India gas pipeline and cross-border rail links. These initiatives provide a durable basis for cooperation, although major projects have faced delays and Afghanistan’s political transition has added uncertainty about their implementation.
Key developments
The cross-border railway linking Turkmenistan with Aqina in Afghanistan opened for service.
Afghanistan and Turkmenistan advanced the TAPI gas pipeline project, including the launch of construction on the Afghan section.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation prospects of the TAPI pipeline remain uncertain.
- The extent of bilateral cooperation under Afghanistan’s post-2021 authorities is unclear.