Afghanistan–Turkmenistan relations
![]() | |
![]() Afghanistan | ![]() Turkmenistan |
---|---|
Diplomatic mission | |
Afghan Embassy, Ashgabat | Turkmen Embassy, Kabul |
Envoy | |
Chargé d'Affaires Fazal Muhammad Sabir | Ambassador Hoja Ovezov[1] |
The contemporary borders of the nations of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan are the products of The Great Game in Central Asia between the British and Russian Empires.[2] As a result, the two countries have some cultural ties, with Afghanistan having 1.2 million Turkmen,[3] the third largest Turkmen population behind Iran and Turkmenistan.
Afghanistan depends on Turkmenistan for meeting a large part of the country's electricity needs. At present,[when?] Afghanistan imports more than 320 million kilowatt-hours of electricity every year from Turkmenistan.[citation needed]
Turkmenistan opened a major railway link to Afghanistan in 2016 to facilitate fuel exports.[4]
Like the rest of the world, Turkmenistan has also not officially recognized the Taliban government, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as legitimate. However, Turkmenistan has de facto diplomatic relations with the Taliban government and has facilitated the Taliban's appointment of diplomats to the Afghan Embassy in Ashgabat. The current chargé d'affaires is Fazal Muhammad Sabir, appointed in March 2022.[5][6][7]
See also
[edit]- Torghundi, a border crossing between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan
- Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI)
References
[edit]- ^ "Ambassador of Turkmenistan in Kabul Held Talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "How the British and the Russians Drew the Afghan-Turkmen Border". The Diplomat.
- ^ "The Ethnic Groups Of Afghanistan". WorldAtlas. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
- ^ "Turkmenistan launches railway to Afghanistan to boost exports". Reuters.
- ^ "Turkmenistan: Berdymukhamedov passes the mantle (and phone)". Eurasianet. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (19 March 2022). "Appointed by IEA MFA, Mr. Mohammad Fazel Saber was introduced in a ceremony as chargé d'affaires to his colleagues at the Afghan Embassy in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, yesterday". Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "IEA introduces caretaker ambassador to Turkmenistan". Ariana News. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
External links
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