Anwar’s visit follows Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s official trip to Malaysia in 2024, which Turkmen officials have described as opening a new stage in bilateral relations.

Energy is the central pillar of economic ties between the two countries. Malaysian state energy company Petronas has operated in Turkmenistan since 1996, when it became one of the first foreign companies to develop offshore oil and gas fields in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea.

Petronas’ main asset is Block 1, linked to the Kiyanly Gas Treatment Plant and Onshore Gas Terminal on Turkmenistan’s Caspian coast. The facilities have design capacity of 5 billion cubic meters of gas and 2.4 million tons of gas condensate per year. Petronas has invested about $11 billion in Turkmenistan’s hydrocarbon sector.

Block 1 currently produces about 400 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, equivalent to roughly 4.1 billion cubic meters per year, and holds more than 7 trillion cubic feet of gas resources. In 2025, Petronas signed a new production-sharing contract for the block with Abu Dhabi’s XRG, state enterprise Hazarnebit, and state concern Türkmennebit. Under that arrangement, Petronas retained 57% as operator, XRG took 38%, and Hazarnebit held 5%.

Turkmenistan also announced that Berdimuhamedov had approved a resolution authorizing Türkmennebit to conclude an agreement with Petronas and Hazarnebit on the development of licensed offshore blocks in Turkmenistan’s sector of the Caspian Sea.

Malaysia’s role in Turkmenistan is smaller than China’s, but more technical and operational. Petronas has been an upstream investor and offshore operator, while China is Turkmenistan’s dominant gas customer. Turkmenistan exports around 30 billion cubic meters of gas a year to China.

China’s role is centered on long-term purchases, pipeline infrastructure, and major onshore projects. In April 2026, China and Turkmenistan signed an agreement on the fourth phase of the Galkynysh gas field, under which CNPC is to build gas-processing facilities capable of handling an additional 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Reuters reported the project value at $5.1 billion, with financing to come from Turkmenistan.

Turkmen state media said the two countries are also seeking to broaden cooperation in transport and logistics, high technology, agriculture, science, and education. Talks in Ashgabat are expected to focus on energy cooperation, investment projects, and expanding trade links.