Turkmenistan Interview 13 October 2026 08:00 (UTC +04:00)
Photo: Malaysian Ministry of Economy /Instagram
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 13. Malaysia’s Economy Minister will lead a delegation of more than 20 companies to Turkmenistan’s OGT 2026.
Turkmen Energy Forum provided the information to Trend in an exclusive comment ahead of the International Conference and Exhibition "Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan" (OGT 2026).
"Malaysia’s Minister of Economy, Tuan Haji Akmal Nasrullah bin Mohd Nasir, will lead a high-level government and business delegation to Turkmenistan for OGT 2026, bringing representatives of more than 20 Malaysian companies to Ashgabat on 21–23 October," Turkmen Energy Forum said.
According to the organization, the visit is set to bring a large Malaysian government and business delegation to Ashgabat.
"The visit will mark Malaysia’s largest coordinated presence at the International Conference and Exhibition "Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan", including the country’s first dedicated Malaysia Pavilion at OGT," the forum noted.
The organization added that the Malaysian delegation will include 14 companies from the oil and gas services and equipment sector, participating through an MPRC market-access initiative.
"Fourteen Malaysian oil and gas services and equipment (OGSE) companies will participate through an international market-access initiative of Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation (MPRC), aimed at developing business links and long-term partnerships in Turkmenistan," the Turkmen Energy Forum said.
Notably, diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and Malaysia were established in 1992, with embassies subsequently opened in Ashgabat and Kuala Lumpur, reflecting a steady institutionalization of bilateral ties over time.
The core pillar of economic cooperation is the energy sector, where Malaysia’s state oil and gas company PETRONAS has operated in Turkmenistan since 1996 under production-sharing agreements in the Caspian Sea offshore blocks. Over nearly three decades, the company has invested approximately $12 billion in the country’s oil and gas sector, with five offshore platforms constructed, around 40 exploration, appraisal and production wells drilled, and more than 44 billion cubic meters of natural gas and approximately 16 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons produced.
The partnership entered a new stage during Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to Turkmenistan in June 2026. New agreements included a Production Sharing Agreement covering offshore Blocks 19 and 20 in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, as well as cooperation on 2D seismic studies covering Blocks 11, 12, 13 and 14.
Against this backdrop, Malaysia’s participation in OGT 2026 is expected to broaden bilateral energy cooperation beyond upstream activities, with companies looking at engineering, specialized technical services, gas processing, downstream industries, digital solutions and technology cooperation.