Korea-Central Asia Summit: South Korea will host the first Korea-Central Asia Summit in Seoul on Sept. 16, with President Lee Jae-myung meeting leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to set a “Seoul Declaration” and push cooperation on critical minerals, energy, supply chains, customs and security. CIS Chairmanship in focus: Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov met CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev in Ashgabat, discussing preparations for CIS top-level meetings in Avaza on Oct. 7 and 9 and how to expand practical cooperation during Turkmenistan’s 2026 CIS chairmanship. Regional connectivity and trade: Afghanistan’s ACCI chief met Turkmenistan’s ambassador in Kabul to explore transit corridors and investment, including plans to attend a Turkmenistan investment forum in Ashgabat this October. Caspian logistics push: A ports meeting involving Aktau, Kuryk, Turkmenbashi and others reviewed faster cargo flows across the Caspian–Black Sea link; preliminary 2026 figures show Baku–Turkmenistan port cargo turnover up 34.6%. UN-backed agriculture and justice: UNDP trained Turkmen irrigation specialists on FAO CROPWAT 8.0 for water-efficient farming, while UNFPA and the Supreme Court ran a CEDAW seminar for gender-sensitive judicial practice. Diplomatic updates: President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received new EU ambassador Luc Pierre Devigne and France’s Aléna Grand, signaling continued political dialogue and cooperation.