The Ashgabat forum in Turkmenistan brought together Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, raising questions about whether Russia remains connected to regional partners despite Western sanctions.

Speaking to AnewZ, political analyst Dmitry Bdizhe said the forum demonstrates that Russia remains connected to key partners despite efforts to isolate it.

“It shows that Russia is not isolated, as the Western countries were thinking. Russia is using other platforms, as BRICS, as Shanghai Organisation, as also other countries that they are not with the Western policies, as Türkiye, as Turkmenistan.”

Bdizhe noted that the forum is less about immediate agreements and more about symbolic diplomacy. Turkmenistan has positioned the International Forum for Peace and Trust as a neutral venue where leaders can meet without the optics and constraints of Western-hosted summits. He described the format as “neutral revenue diplomacy” and a political safe stage for high-level discussions.

For Russia, the forum is an opportunity to reassert influence in Central Asia and strengthen ties with countries including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, particularly as Western sanctions continue to pressure Moscow. Bdizhe explained that Moscow seeks to counter Western influence and maintain partnerships in the region.

“Russia is trying to go back to this region strongly, because the United States of America is trying to benefit from any mistakes that happens in the Russian foreign policies and to use it against Russia in Central Asia, in Caucasia or in the Middle East.”

Türkiye and Iran are also advancing their regional ambitions. According to Bdizhe, Erdogan aims to position Türkiye as a platform for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and to foster unity among Turkic nations, while Iran focuses on economic reforms and coordinating with Russia on its nuclear programme. Bdizhe highlighted that Central Asian states are navigating these overlapping influences carefully, balancing relations with Russia, Türkiye, and Iran while maintaining neutrality toward Western sanctions.

“Other countries that they are trying to be like in the middle and work with both sides with the Western countries at the same time with the Russian Federation.”

Overall, the Ashgabat forum signals that Russia continues to maintain partnerships outside the Western-dominated order, while Türkiye and Iran expand their regional influence. Turkmenistan leverages its neutrality to host high-level diplomacy, positioning itself as a platform for engagement in Eurasia.

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