Plenty of Propaganda, Few Concrete Results: 30 Years of Relations between Turkey and Turkmenistan

Abstract

Despite frequent rhetorical statements from both countries, the full development of Turkish-Turkmen relations has been limited to certain economic sectors, and even then, has excluded the crucial sector of energy. There has also not been any real progress on the political front, such as persuading Turkmenistan, which has staunchly adhered to a strategy of neutrality, to join the Turkic Council. This policy brief will outline a three decades' long international relationship that has been first and foremost propagandistic in nature, especially for the Turkmen government.