PM Faces Packed Schedule On Final Day Of Official Visit To White Marble City
ASHGABAT (TURKMENISTAN): The second and final day of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to Turkmenistan today is filled with several high-level meetings in this Central Asian country, located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.
This morning, the Prime Minister is scheduled to attend an official welcoming ceremony hosted by President Berdimuhamedov, followed by a private meeting between both leaders.
Anwar and Berdimuhamedov will then hold a bilateral meeting and sign a joint statement as well as exchange agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) that have been finalised by both governments.
Both leaders are expected to discuss the current status of bilateral relations and explore opportunities to further strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, oil and gas, agriculture and commodities, energy, tourism, education, digital, as well as science and technology.
They will exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, particularly developments in ASEAN and the Central Asian region.
The Prime Minister and Berdimuhamedov are also expected to sign a joint statement in conjunction with the official visit, as well as witness the exchange of several important documents including an Air Services Agreement and an MoU between the foreign affairs institutes of both countries.
Both leaders will witness the signing of an MoU between the Ministry of Transport and the State Service of Turkmenistan, an MoU between the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, as well as several documents related to oil and gas.
After that, Anwar will attend a luncheon hosted by Berdimuhamedov at the Presidential Palace, then perform Friday prayers at the Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque.
In the afternoon, the Prime Minister will jointly inaugurate the Malaysia-Turkmenistan Forum with Berdimuhamedov at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan before holding a press conference with the Malaysian media to conclude the visit.
On this visit, Anwar is accompanied by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Minister of Economy Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, as well as officers from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, is known worldwide as the “White Marble City” and holds the Guinness World Record as the city with the highest density of white marble-clad buildings in the world, encompassing more than 500 such structures.
The city features monumental architecture, gold-leaf detailing, and wide, clean roads.
The country borders Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the north, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, and the Caspian Sea to the west.
The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest lake and is a completely isolated endorheic basin, separate from the world’s oceans.
In 2025, Turkmenistan was Malaysia’s fourth-largest trading partner among Central Asian countries.
The total bilateral trade value between Malaysia and Turkmenistan stood at RM75.80 million, with Malaysian exports valued at RM75.50 million, recording an increase of nine per cent compared to the previous year’s figures.
Turkmenistan is also a major investment destination for Petronas, with the company’s total investment in the country reaching RM52.73 billion since 1996 to date.
Bernama