Turkmenistan
Profile
Turkmenistan and Afghanistan share a 462-mi-long border and strong ethnic connections between Turkmen and Uzbek populations. However, since gaining independence from the Soviet Union, Ashqabat has pursued a policy of strict neutrality in its foreign affairs. Doing so shielded the country from the war and conflict in Afghanistan. And it allowed it to maintain a positive relationship with the Taliban in the 1990s. As a result, Turkmenistan does not suffer from regional threats of armed separatism and Islamic extremism. Following September 11, Ashqabat was supportive of the US-led invasion. The new government in Kabul and Ashqabat developed good relations and initiated as well as implemented numerous bilateral and multilateral economic and connectivity projects. The two countries, along with Pakistan and India, revived the TAPI pipeline, a 1,137-mi natural gas pipeline running across the four countries. Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan agreed to develop the TAP power transmission line to deliver up to 4,000 megawatts of power. Long under discussion has been the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) electricity project. Turkmenistan provides 17% of Afghanistan's electricity imports. Ashqabat and Kabul also signed and constructed the Aqina-Andkhoi railway line. Another connectivity project was the development of a fiber optic cable that ran from Imamnazar in Turkmenistan to Aqina in Afghanistan and Serhetabat in Turkmenistan to Torghundi in Afghanistan. Turkmenistan has been pragmatic in its relations with Afghanistan. In February 2021, as the prospect of the return of the Taliban became clearer, Ashqabat hosted a Taliban delegation to discuss the ongoing and future infrastructure projects, and again on July 10, as the Taliban were swiftly taking over the country. Nevertheless, the same day, Ashqabat rushed military forces to the border to stem the flow of refugees and instability. It was one of the first countries to engage with the Taliban government while keeping its embassy and consulates open. Less than two weeks after the Taliban takeover, representatives of the two governments met to strengthen the Imamnazar-Akina checkpoint, and Turkmenistan sent humanitarian assistance. Officials from the two countries have since met on several occasions. Like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan's friendly posture toward the Taliban reflects its priorities - securing the development of regional infrastructure projects, which the Taliban promised to do.
Key Interests & Priorities
1. Economic Opportunities
Ashqabat wants to safeguard economic connectivity, trade, and transit through a stable and secure partner in Afghanistan to funnel the exports of its natural resources to energy-deficient markets in South Asia. The regional infrastructure projects like TAPI, TAP, TUTAP, rail, and fiber optics would bring a huge boon to the gas-rich country. Over the past three decades, Ashqabat has advanced its strictly neutral and pragmatic policy toward Afghanistan's ruling power to safeguard the development of regional projects. Turkmenistan has wanted to build the TAPI for more than 25 years, but security problems in Afghanistan have always made its realization impossible. Over the years, the Central Asian land-locked country has tried to build other regional connectivity projects to gain access to the vast energy markets in South Asia.
2. Spillover of Insecurity
Ashqabat is concerned about the spillover of instability from bordering Afghanistan, especially of the jihadi militant groups that threaten its regime. Turkmen nationals joined the ISKP and fought in Iraq and Syria. Since then, the fighters have come to Afghanistan and joined ISKP. Ashqabat remains wary of the militant group that desires to overthrow the Central Asian regimes to establish an Islamic caliphate and engages with the Taliban to ensure safety along their borders.
3. Inclusive Government
Despite its policy of strict neutrality and like the international community, Ashqabat has called for an inclusive government in Afghanistan.