Photo: AFP Photo/Manan Vatsyayana

BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 22. The Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan and Malaysia's "PETRONAS Çarigali (Turkmenistan) Sdn. Bhd." have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand cooperation in education and professional training.

This was announced by the Turkmen Ministry of Education.

According to the ministry, the signing ceremony took place during a meeting at the Ministry of Education between Turkmen Minister of Education Djumamyrat Gurbangeldiyev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to Turkmenistan Mohd Suhaimi bin Ahmad Tajuddin, and a delegation from "PETRONAS Çarigali (Turkmenistan)" led by Chief Executive Officer Ismadi bin Ismail.

"The signing of the memorandum creates important conditions for the further development of partnership in education and professional training, the implementation of new joint initiatives, and the creation of additional opportunities to enhance the level of education and professional qualifications of young people," the ministry emphasized in a statement.

To date, Turkmenistan and Malaysia have established a legal framework in the field of education, having signed nearly 20 bilateral documents and agreements.

PETRONAS Carigali (Turkmenistan) Sdn. Bhd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia’s national oil company PETRONAS, has operated in Turkmenistan since 1996 under the Block 1 Production Sharing Agreement in the Caspian Sea. Over three decades, the company has trained 235 local technicians and provided scholarships to 188 Turkmen students for studies at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS and related technical facilities in Malaysia. Local nationals account for nearly 90% of its workforce in the country (more than 1,000 employees). The company also maintains long-standing educational cooperation with the Yagshygeldi Kakaev International University of Oil and Gas, including previous memoranda of understanding, online courses, internships, and joint research activities.