On April 26, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe visited Ashgabat and met with President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Turkmenistan's Defense Minister Begench Gundogdyev .
Fenghe discussed cooperation in various fields with Berdimuhamedov, noting that China is one of the largest trading partners of Turkmenistan, according to the website of the Chinese Ministry of Defense. Also, according to the Chinese minister, more than 1,400 Turkmen students study in China.
Fenghe expressed hope for the strengthening of practical cooperation between the armies of the two countries in the field of military equipment and training of personnel, and also stated that China supports the neutral status of Turkmenistan and strongly opposes external interference in its internal affairs.
Fenghe then met with the head of the Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan, Begench Gundogdyev. The parties exchanged views on international and regional security issues, including the situation in Ukraine and Afghanistan, and agreed to maintain strategic communication, improve personnel training and strengthen cooperation in the field of combating terrorism and military equipment.
The day before, the Chinese Defense Minister visited Kazakhstan, where he also held talks with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Defense Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov . As in Turkmenistan, the parties agreed on military-technical cooperation and cooperation in personnel training, and Fenghe condemned external forces that tried to stage a color revolution in Kazakhstan.
The Turkmen media , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense reported only the fact of Fenghe's meeting with Serdar Berdimuhamedov, omitting the details of the discussion and mention of Ukraine and Afghanistan, as well as negotiations with Gundogdyev.
A month ago, Fenghe and Gundogdyev held an online meeting , during which the Chinese Defense Minister announced his readiness to strengthen strategic ties with Turkmenistan, including deepening practical military cooperation in various fields.
“China attaches great importance to relations with Turkmenistan and will always be a close friend and reliable partner of the Central Asian country, no matter how the international situation changes ,” the minister said.
In July 2021, Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Yi promised Turkmenistan "traditional and non-traditional" support to protect the country's state security "in connection with the development of the situation in Afghanistan."
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan