Turkmenistan and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have identified migration management and migrant rights as priority areas for cooperation. This was reflected in a report published by the country’s Foreign Ministry following a meeting between Minister Rashid Meredov and Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission of the IOM in Kazakhstan and IOM Coordinator for Central Asian countries. According to the report, the meeting focused on defining priority areas for cooperation between Turkmenistan and the IOM, including regional cooperation.
For reference, Turkmenistan has been cooperating with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) since the late 1990s. The country joined IOM as an observer state in 1997, while a cooperation agreement between the two sides was signed in 1998. In recent years, IOM has worked with Turkmen authorities on migration governance, border management, migration statistics, climate-related mobility, and anti-trafficking initiatives.
The organization has also supported projects aimed at strengthening migration data collection and improving migration management capacities among government agencies. Meanwhile, one of the key areas of bilateral cooperation between Turkmenistan and IOM remains border management. In February 2025, Ashgabat hosted a national workshop on the development of an Integrated Border Management Strategy under the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA).
The initiative brought together border, migration, customs, and law-enforcement authorities to discuss coordinated approaches to addressing challenges such as irregular migration, trafficking, and cross-border crime. Source: https://www.trend.az/casia/4215064.html © 2026 Trend News Agency.
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