Relationship dossier
Russia
Turkmenistan
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation alongside energy disputes and Turkmenistan’s policy of permanent neutrality
Russia toward Turkmenistan
+20Russia has pursued bilateral energy trade with Turkmenistan and signed a 2022 declaration to deepen strategic partnership. Russian gas purchasing arrangements have also been interrupted, including a major halt in 2009 amid a pipeline disruption and commercial disputes.
Turkmenistan toward Russia
+20Turkmenistan has maintained bilateral energy trade and signed the 2022 declaration on deepening strategic partnership with Russia. Its policy of permanent neutrality limits the extent to which bilateral cooperation entails alignment with Russian foreign-policy or security priorities.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines practical energy and diplomatic cooperation with periodic commercial friction, especially over gas supply and purchasing terms. Turkmenistan's permanent-neutrality policy is a durable constraint on closer strategic alignment, while bilateral agreements provide a basis for cooperation.
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
Russia and Turkmenistan maintain a cooperative but carefully managed relationship. Energy trade and bilateral strategic agreements provide practical areas of cooperation, including a 2022 declaration on deepening strategic partnership. Gas supply interruptions and disputes over commercial terms have also strained ties. Turkmenistan's policy of permanent neutrality shapes its approach to cooperation with Russia.
Areas of tension
- Disputes over gas pricing and purchasing terms
- Interruptions in Russian purchases of Turkmen gas
Key developments
Russia halted purchases of Turkmen gas following a pipeline disruption and commercial dispute.
Russia and Turkmenistan signed a declaration to deepen strategic partnership.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral strategic cooperation are unclear.
- The present scale and terms of Russian-Turkmen gas trade are uncertain.