Turkmenistan – USA: New Horizons for Cooperation in Science and Education

On October 22, 2025, during a working visit to the United States of America, a meeting was held between the delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Education of Turkmenistan and the leadership of the University of Montana—one of the leading research universities in the U.S. The meeting was organized with the support of the Embassy of Turkmenistan in the USA, which plays a key role in promoting the educational cooperation agenda between the two countries.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Montana National Guard, highlighting the multi-sectoral nature of the partnership.

The leadership of the University of Montana warmly welcomed the Turkmen delegation and expressed confidence that such visits will contribute significantly to the expansion of bilateral cooperation.

The program began with a presentation of the university’s academic offerings, including the work of the Mansfield Center, the international office, and scientific research projects on water security, climate change, glacier melting, and more.

The Turkmen delegation then toured the university campus and, divided into two groups, participated in various academic classes. Particularly impressive was the session on “Renewable and Clean Energy” by the department of Central and West Asian Studies.

The Turkmen side also became acquainted with the university’s academic curricula, course structures, and credit system.

Discussions focused on future cooperation, with the Turkmen side presenting specific proposals for collaboration in cybersecurity, environmental science, language instruction, and geographic information systems (GIS), highlighting Turkmenistan’s commitment to digital resilience.

The Embassy of Turkmenistan played a vital coordinating role in the organization of the visit and advancement of the educational dialogue. As noted by First Secretary–Consul of the Embassy, Shohrat Pirmukhammedov: “Educational cooperation remains one of the most promising and stable pillars of Turkmenistan–U.S. relations. A series of targeted meetings with leading American universities has been planned by the Embassy, and today’s meeting at the University of Montana is a key step in this strategic direction. We view university cooperation as an investment in human capital, which is particularly important in the context of realizing our demographic potential.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides expressed mutual appreciation for the productive dialogue and underlined the importance of educational exchange in enhancing interstate relations.

The visit to the University of Montana marked another step in advancing the traditionally friendly relations between Turkmenistan and the United States and opened new avenues for practical and mutually beneficial cooperation in science and education.

Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan