- Turkmenistan has recently experienced a significant increase in diplomatic attention from both the United States and Russia, suggesting an intensifying geopolitical struggle for influence in the Central Asian nation.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Ashgabat to strengthen economic, cultural, and political ties, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau held separate phone conversations with the Turkmen Foreign Minister to discuss cooperation and expanding economic ties.
- Moscow appears concerned by Washington’s growing engagement with Turkmenistan, with Russian media even speculating that a new airport in Jebel could serve American military interests.
Turkmenistan over the past year has taken tentative steps to open up trade connections with the West, underscored by the launch in March of a first-ever swap deal involving Turkey and Iran facilitating the export natural gas to the European Union.
US and Russia vie for influence in energy-rich Turkmenistan
American Buddhist Net 