On 26 February 2026, a bilateral meeting was held at Lancaster House between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, and the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Yvette Cooper. The negotiations were also attended by the Minister for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty. About this reports MFA of Turkmenistan.
The talks covered a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation, the regional agenda and current international topics. The importance of the first ministerial meeting in the “Central Asia – United Kingdom” format was noted, and the parties confirmed their readiness to fill it with practical content.
Turkmenistan reaffirmed its commitment to resolving all international issues exclusively by peaceful political and diplomatic means and methods, on the basis of international law and the UN Charter.
Issues related to the development of economic partnership were considered, including in the areas of green technologies, digitalization and transport, as well as the expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties.
In conclusion, the sides confirmed their interest in further strengthening Turkmen–British partnership and discussed prospects for organizing high-level visits.
Subsequently, a number of bilateral documents were signed.
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Later, a working lunch of the Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries and the United Kingdom was held, organized on behalf of the UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
The working lunch focused on regional cooperation, including security, sustainable development and strengthening interregional interaction.
In his remarks, Minister Rashid Meredov presented several concrete initiatives aimed at developing practical cooperation and strengthening regional security, including the launch of joint training programs and the creation of a new “Turkmenistan – United Kingdom Cultural Dialogue” format.
The importance of supporting Afghanistan in its peaceful development through the implementation of infrastructure projects was emphasized, including the TAPI Pipeline, power transmission lines and railway construction in the Afghan direction.
The Minister also proposed expanding technical and advisory cooperation with the involvement of British legal and consulting companies, as well as introducing digital solutions to ensure transparency in cross-border trade.
The importance of combining the United Kingdom’s technological potential with the diplomatic efforts of the Central Asian countries to strengthen regional stability and sustainable development was underlined.
