A high-level summit bringing together the presidents of Russia, Türkiye, Iran and several regional partners has placed Turkmenistan in the diplomatic spotlight — and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov used the moment to suggest that long-awaited political reforms may be on the horizon. His comments, published Friday in the state daily Turkmenistan Today, arrive as the Central Asian nation marks three decades of officially declared neutrality.

Turkmenistan’s Neutrality Anniversary Sets the Stage

In his anniversary essay, Berdimuhamedov wrote that Ashgabat is working “to turn our neutral homeland into a strong, democratic state founded on the rule of law where citizens can enjoy a dignified and prosperous life.”
While the president refrained from providing specific steps, the timing of the message — just hours before an international forum in Ashgabat — added weight to his suggestion of renewed political momentum.

The gathering attracted major regional figures, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, underscoring Turkmenistan’s strategic relevance at a moment of renewed geopolitical competition.

A Nation Balancing Isolation and Engagement

Home to 7 million people and vast desert landscapes, Turkmenistan controls the world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves. Its formal neutrality, declared in 1995 under founding leader Saparmurat Niyazov, was designed to shield the country from both Western and Russian influence.
Niyazov maintained strict control until his death in 2006, isolating Turkmenistan from international institutions and relying almost exclusively on natural-gas revenues to sustain the economy.

Hints of Modernization Under a New Generation

Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who succeeded his father as president in 2022, has cautiously eased some of the long-standing restrictions. The government has relaxed limits on social-media access, signaled new air-transport links, and pledged to liberalize its notoriously restrictive visa regime through the rollout of e-visas for selected foreign visitors.

At the same time, Ashgabat has sought to rebalance its energy-dependent economy. Officials have voiced interest in joining the World Trade Organization and reducing the country’s reliance on natural gas shipments — most of which currently flow to China.
In a notable step last month, the government approved a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency mining and trading, marking one of its first clear moves into digital-economy policy.