British Foreign Secretary David Cameron visited Turkmenistan as part of his tour of Central Asia and Mongolia. According to the state news agency TDH, on April 24, he met with President Serdar Berdymukhamedov.
On his Twitter page, Cameron posted a short video taken in Ashgabat. In the video, the Foreign Secretary stated, "We are in Central Asia right now for the security and prosperity of the United Kingdom. Security because this region is squeezed between China, Russia, Afghanistan, and Iran. We must trade, do business with this region and the whole world because ultimately it means jobs and prosperity for our citizens."
According to the Independent, a day before his departure, Cameron stated that Russia is using Central Asia to circumvent sanctions. He said that the UK will work with countries in the region to put an end to this.
In official reports on sanctions, however, this is not mentioned. As reported by TDH, Cameron conveyed greetings from King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Berdymukhamedov. In response, the President recalled his participation in the coronation of the British monarch.
Berdymukhamedov stated that "in its foreign policy, Turkmenistan adheres to the legal status of permanent neutrality, twice recognized by the special Resolutions of the UN General Assembly, and carries out extensive international cooperation to ensure peace, security, and sustainable development on the planet."
During the meeting, trade turnover, climate change, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation were discussed. Berdymukhamedov expressed readiness to implement targeted English language training programs in Turkmenistan.
The UK Foreign Ministry website states that promoting the English language is one of the main goals of the visit to the region. It also mentions that the UK plans to allocate 50 million pounds sterling to Central Asian and Mongolian countries over three years to support sovereignty and independence. The Chevening scholarships for studying at British universities will also be doubled.
Cameron became the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The UK Foreign Secretary has not visited Uzbekistan since 1997. This is the first visit to Mongolia in over ten years.
"The purpose of the trip is the implementation of a new British strategy for interacting with former Soviet republics in the 'C5+1' format to reduce the influence of Russia and China," notes the Russian newspaper "Kommersant." This strategy emerged at the end of 2023 when the report "Countries at a Crossroads: UK Engagement in Central Asia" was presented in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British Parliament.
The main document signed at the end of the trip is called the Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UK, which has been prepared for about six years.
