Since gaining independence, Turkmenistan has clearly outlined the guidelines of its foreign policy – to actively participate in solving urgent problems of the modern world and to cooperate with all countries, taking into consideration national interests and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. Following the chosen course, Turkmenistan twice, in 1995 and 2015, was recognised by the Community of Nations as a permanently neutral state. The principles of permanent neutrality and the open-doors policy for cooperation with all interested partners form the basis of all areas of the foreign-policy activities of independent Turkmenistan.

“Turkmenistan will continue the policy of neutrality based on good neighbourliness, mutual respect, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation with all states of the world,” President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasised in his inaugural speech. The political and diplomatic form of the multilateral international dialogue has become a defining one and is being actively promoted as water diplomacy, allowing cooperation with the world community to solve pressing global and regional water problems and to maintain a constructive dialogue with partners on the use of transboundary waters.