EBRD Expands Cooperation with Turkmenistan: Five Memorandums Signed Amid Ongoing Human Rights Concerns

EBRD Expands Cooperation with Turkmenistan: Five Memorandums Signed Amid Ongoing Human Rights Concerns 29 July 2026 On 28 July, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov received Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), who arrived in Ashgabat on an official visit. Following the talks, the parties signed five memorandums of understanding covering the banking sector, transport infrastructure, energy, environmental projects, and the development of the capital city under the EBRD Green Cities programme. According to official information, the meeting focused on further cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, the digital economy, environmental protection, the efficient use of water resources, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises. Particular attention was also given to the development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and the modernization of the country's transport infrastructure. The signed memorandums cover the following areas: EBRD strategic priorities in Turkmenistan for the period 2027–2032; strengthening the banking sector and supporting export-oriented economic diversification; cooperation on sustainable energy, environmental protection, and efficient water resource management involving the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Energy, the state concerns Turkmengaz, Turkmennebit, and Turkmenhimiya; modernization of transport corridors and the development of Turkmenistan's transit potential; cooperation between the Ashgabat Municipality and the EBRD under the Green Cities programme. International Cooperation and Human Rights The expansion of cooperation between international financial institutions and Turkmenistan once again raises the question of ensuring that economic engagement is accompanied by due consideration of human rights, transparency, and good governance. The Dayanç / Turkmenistan Human Rights Platform has previously sent an official letter to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, urging the Bank to take into account the systematic human rights violations in Turkmenistan when developing cooperation with state institutions. The letter emphasizes that sustainable development cannot be achieved without respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, an independent civil society, freedom of expression, access to information, and Turkmenistan's compliance with its international human rights obligations. The Platform called on the EBRD to integrate human rights and transparency considerations into its dialogue with the Turkmen authorities when implementing joint projects. While stronger international economic cooperation may contribute to the country's modernization, human rights advocates stress that the long-term sustainability of such initiatives depends on meaningful reforms in the areas of the rule of law, institutional transparency, and respect for fundamental human rights. Source: Chronicle of Turkmenistan (based on information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan): https://www.hronikatm.com/2026/07/s-berdymuhamedov-prinyal-rukovoditelya-ebrr-podpisany-pyat-memorandumov/ Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan (via Chronicle of Turkmenistan).