What stage are relations between Turkmenistan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland now? What to expect from the consequences of Brexit for Misty Albion and its relations with the countries of Central Asia? These and other questions became the subject of an exclusive interview with Her Majesty's Ambassador to Turkmenistan Mr. Hugh Philpott OBE for Turkmenportal.

– Mr. Ambassador, you have been in Ashgabat for four months with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain to Turkmenistan, and during this time you have managed to get acquainted not only with the Turkmen capital, but also to visit all regions of the country. In this regard, are there any projects, plans, and in what sectors do you intend to implement together with Turkmenistan in the interests of mutually beneficial Turkmen-British cooperation?

– Thank you very much and thank you very much for your warm welcome. It’s for me great pleasure and also it is great honor to be her Majesty’s Ambassador here in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. I have been wanting to come to Turkmenistan for number of years and at last the opportunity was provided for me.

Yes, I’ve already had the opportunity to travel in several different places in Turkmenistan and I feel very lucky to being able to do that. I was up in the North in Dashoguz, and in this area quite early in September and October, I also visited Mary and Ancient Merv towards the end of the last year, but in fact in this coming weekend we are going to Mary again for another one projects. But I’ve also been spending time becoming engaged in activities in Ashgabat.

But I think, perhaps, what I want to bring new is I want to create more connections, more contacts, more networks in every single different sector. I don’t want to limit our relationship, only to very important sectors of energy and security and human rights, I want to make sure, that we have a mature and broad-based relationship. I want to find a new ways to communicate with people, I want to meet new people among sectors, I want to work with a, I want to discover what is it that Turkmenistan is good at and has to offer to my country, and what is it my country is good at and has to offer to Turkmenistan. So, we have many-many opportunities and I am really looking forward and I am very enthusiastic.

– Mr. Ambassador, the Turkmen-British trade and industry Council was established many years ago in order to enhance interstate cooperation. Last year, the seventh session of the Council was held in Ashgabat. How effective do you think the work of this Council is?

– This is a very good thing. The bilateral trade talks which happen alternatively in UK or in Turkmenistan are an opportunity for us to meet formally and to bring representatives from a number of companies, people who might not normally visit either the UK or visit Turkmenistan and during that time not only do we have the formal bilateral session, but we also have chance to have a lot of private one-to-one meetings to develop their ideas around trade, to develop ideas around the cooperation in many different types of projects. We can also use this bilateral meeting effectively to cover some political work as well, because there are many common security and stability issues that are important for the United Kingdom and also important to Turkmenistan. Your relationship with your big partners like China and Russia, and I think that we can use this set peace bilateral meeting usefully to cover many different many things, not in the trade, but in the energy, we have very wide, actively large energy sector as do you, because it is important to people to meet together as well. So, I am very happy with how that process works.

– Mr. Ambassador, on January 31, the UK officially began the process of leaving the European Union, which will last for the entire year.  Will Brexit affect relations with the Central Asian region and, in particular, the Turkmen-British cooperation?

– It’s really good question, it’s good question to ask at this time.

The Great Britain now is in the transition period, we’ve now officially left the European Union. This was the democratic will of the people of the United Kingdom and my government has worked hard to deliver that part for the year. The United Kingdom is an outlook looking country. Now we able to refresh and develop its relations with all countries in the world, and for me that job is with Turkmenistan. I am very proud that my country showed perhaps, a supreme example with democracy in that when people were able to vote on something and the government followed those instructions from the people and hold out that will and we now where we are. So, I think looking forward, there will be number of sectors.

Only 31 of January the UK actually left the EU. So, we not necessarily begin the process, we left the EU. We were in transition period and we’ve been very active already, particularly around the international agenda of the climate change, because this meeting 2020 will be in the United Kingdom this year, but around other sectors and other topics as well. We particularly keen to be increasing our independent trade, arrangements, and relationships with all countries of the world. My colleague, who represents the United Kingdom in Geneva at the international organizations is taking up his seat, independent seat. This will also open up many opportunities in developing new trade relationships with many countries, but Turkmenistan, we will not see any huge change in how we will be working with Turkmenistan, because for the last 3 or 4 years, we’ve been preparing to be new ally and we’ve been developing our new and future relationships.

–  At the end of last year, Turkmenistan Airlines resumed flights to Birmingham. Is anything known about the prospects of resuming flights from Ashgabat to London? At what stage is the solution to this issue?

– Oh, it’s another good question and favorite topic of mine, I’ve spent perhaps, of 5-6 years of my career in Central Asia and so connectivity, communication and transport are very important to me. I think possibly, one of the more difficult things about living and being in Central Asian countries is transport and communication. It can be quite difficult to travel from one city to another, for example, from Bishkek directly to Dushanbe or from Ashgabat directly to Tashkent, or Nur-Sultan to Dushanbe, these are the difficult journeys tonight. And often people will need to travel either to Moscow or to Istanbul or through Alma-Ata in order to reach those destinations. So, air connections and air flights are very important.

Turkmenistan Airlines are very good, very good airlines. I’ve used it several times already in my time here and I am very pleased that they fly to Birmingham, was being such success and quite popular very popular indeed and I understand that maybe the increase in regularity, but I am not sure whether it is negotiations up to. But my role in negotiations over flight at the moment is minimal. It’s something which the companies from the airline and also transport ministries deal direct. But I will facilitate anything that Turkmenistan Airline is looking for and the Government of Turkmenistan supports, but the decisions will be made by the experts, who work on this aviation agreements. But yes, it is my hope, that this flight will exist, because that is key that is important for delivering other things that we’ve talked about, for more trade, more connectivity, networking and connections between people, students travel backwards of forwards, every flight is very important, but I will come back and perhaps, a message to all the governments of central Asia is perhaps, the thing to improve also is connectivity between countries and more open skies and open borders. So, people in Central Asia can move freely between each countries, yes of course plat checks, to able to do the business with each other.

– Mr. Ambassador, as you know, in Turkmenistan, many projects in the field of construction and economy are carried out by well-known foreign companies. Are there British companies among them? What do you intend to do to attract British investment to Turkmenistan?

– British construction companies are active in many places around the world and particularly British architects are very famous in design, planning of particularly major venues, public spaces are specialty for us. I believe there is a large British involvement in construction of an epic facilities here in Ashgabat as in other places around the world. There is the number of other large far companies who are well positioned here, I think that’s absolutely fine and good, that’s the choice of Turkmenistan to work with whom they wish. If at some time in future Turkmenistan wishes to work with British construction companies, I am sure I can facilitate those negotiations and probably touch those organizations that can built that large projects that you are talking about. I think more probably the question around the investment in a country, if you’re thinking this then British investor is going to invest in businesses or industries in Turkmenistan, because British far investment around the world and it is one of the most dynamic and also our own country welcomes for investment, so of course I welcome Turkmen for investment in the United Kingdom as well. This is a key part of my role here to encourage more Turkmen investments in the United Kingdom. My colleague in London, the Ambassador of Turkmenistan it will be his job to encourage British companies to invest in Turkmenistan. And I believe that there will be meeting some session in London on this subject. So, it is based on activity.

– Earlier, the British Globe Theatre successfully toured Turkmenistan. And last year, a notable event in the cultural life of our country was the concerts of the famous British singer Joss Stone. Are there any concrete plans to strengthen Turkmen-British cooperation in the cultural sphere?

–  I very much, I hope my plans will be concrete and I very much hope that I will be able to dedicate attention also to developing the links on the cultural sphere. Globe Theatre that was the Globe projects that as the part of the celebration and memo ration of the William Shakespeare with every country on the planet with innovative presentation of Hamlet, and I am very happy that they came to Ashgabat and just very successful the world tours well, where is given as it mentioned very nice concerts, but also works of local musicians. I think, going forward I am looking for those ideas and we’re talking with my colleagues in the regions to see what opportunities that might be through British council or through private sponsorship to bring events not just events but actually cooperative projects, because although it’s time right now to spends money on events. I want something which is going to include Turkmen and British people. So, they can work jointly on something. So, for example if I bring some forum exhibition or some forum entertainment or something academic, I want it to be an opportunity for young people and students all the people get involved. So, I am working with my team to try to come up with something very creative and I give example last autumn for the first time a delegation from Turkmenistan participated in creative the Central Asia. This is a forum which is run by British council it’s been run through 4-5 years now in Central Asia. I saw the director of British council and I said why Turkmenistan was forgotten and not invited for this. So, we were lucky we were invited, they gave us four places, but in the end, I think we sent more than ten people. That’s way I like to work, they give me five opportunities, I’ll take ten; and

I want to make sure that Turkmenistan gets to be involved in these British regional activities more and more, particularly around the sectors of business and economic development which is also good so far, which can also be interesting to people. So, I will do my best, all my plans will be concrete, not necessarily in the building way, that we mentioned just moment away and watch the space see what happens, see what I do next.  

– As you‘ve told me Mr. Ambassador, you are already four months in Turkmenistan and it’s like just yesterday and your hyperactive communications and hyperactive projects as we see bringing very effective results and we wish you success in your future missions. Thank you for your time.

–  Thank you very much indeed. I hope that I am not too hyperactive that eventually becomes too much. No, I want to create good connections and good relationships between the UK and Turkmen people. Thank you for spending time and coming to meet me at home and talk to me. Would you like my picture?

– Picture is perfect, fantastic.

–  Yeah, this the art from Turkmenistan from Mr. Dadenko that is his name and he likes trees, and my wife likes trees as well. So, I bought this as a birthday gift and it’s a very good souvenir and memory already of Turkmenistan. Thank you very much.

– Thank you!