(Eurasianet) Turkmenistan finds itself isolated of its own volition, Iran through international sanctions. Over the last month, the two countries, which share a 922-kilometer border, have engaged in a flurry of diplomatic and economic activity that should boost bilateral relations.
In late June, Turkmenistan concluded a deal to import $2.5 billion worth of engineering goods and services from Iran, according to a report posted on Iran’s Oil Ministry website. No timeframe or breakdown was provided for the agreement, but this appears to fall into an established pattern. […]
Relations between Iran and Turkmenistan have been traditionally cordial, at times even amicable. At the same time, the development of bilateral ties has been slowed by each other’s idiosyncrasies, as Sebastien Peyrouse pointed out in his 2012 book Turkmenistan: Strategies of Power, Dilemmas of Development.
“[The late President Saparmurat] Niyazov regularly prevaricated on making a decision concerning export tariffs of gas to Iran, pursued a policy of repression against the Shiite minority, and supported the Taliban regime in Afghanistan,” Peyrouse wrote. […]
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