Turkmenistan has stepped up efforts to join the World Trade Organization (WTO): an institutional structure for negotiations has been established, a key negotiating document has been prepared, and the work of the Turkmen side has received a positive assessment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This was announced by Atageldy Haljanov, Head of the Department of International Economic Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, at a briefing dedicated to the country's priorities for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and current issues of international economic cooperation.

"The actual situation is as follows: the observer phase has been completed, an institutional structure for negotiations has been established, a key negotiating document has been prepared, and the process has received a positive external expert assessment," said Haljanov.

According to him, Turkmenistan was granted WTO observer status in July 2020, but it was in 2026 that the negotiation process saw a marked intensification. In May, Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov held talks with Maika Oshikawa, Director of the WTO Accession Division; following these discussions, the Turkmen side proposed establishing a national negotiating group and designating a chairing country for the WTO Working Party on Turkmenistan.

As Haljanov noted, a dedicated department has been opened and a working group established within the country’s Ministry of Finance and Economy to prepare the "Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime of Turkmenistan"—a foundational document used by WTO member states to formulate questions for the acceding country.

He added that in June 2026, during consultations in Ashgabat, IMF representatives gave a positive assessment of the Turkmen side's efforts to harmonize legislation and modernize the statistical system—one of the most labor-intensive components of the WTO accession negotiation dossier.

In addition to working towards WTO accession, Turkmenistan engages with the Energy Charter Treaty, the OECD, and the Economic Cooperation Organization, while also developing partnerships with the IMF, the World Bank Group, the EBRD, the Asian Development Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank. A distinct area of activity involves the implementation of international transport corridors, including the Trans-Caspian route, the North-South corridor, and the Lapis Lazuli corridor.