BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 14. Turkmenistan and
the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have identified
migration management and migrant rights as priority areas for
cooperation.
This was reflected in a report published by the country’s
Foreign Ministry following a meeting between Minister Rashid
Meredov and Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission of the IOM in
Kazakhstan and IOM Coordinator for Central Asian countries.
According to the report, the meeting focused on defining
priority areas for cooperation between Turkmenistan and the IOM,
including regional cooperation.
“The importance of taking into account environmental factors and
the principles of sustainable development of the Caspian region in
international and regional cooperation was emphasized,” the
ministry said.
For reference, Turkmenistan has been cooperating with the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) since the late
1990s. The country joined IOM as an observer state in 1997, while a
cooperation agreement between the two sides was signed in 1998. In
recent years, IOM has worked with Turkmen authorities on migration
governance, border management, migration statistics,
climate-related mobility, and anti-trafficking initiatives. The
organization has also supported projects aimed at strengthening
migration data collection and improving migration management
capacities among government agencies.
Meanwhile, one of the key areas of bilateral cooperation between
Turkmenistan and IOM remains border management. In February 2025,
Ashgabat hosted a national workshop on the development of an
Integrated Border Management Strategy under the EU-funded Border
Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA). The initiative
brought together border, migration, customs, and law-enforcement
authorities to discuss coordinated approaches to addressing
challenges such as irregular migration, trafficking, and
cross-border crime.
