The State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan («SOCAR») will once again act as the General Partner of the 31st Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan International Conference and Exhibition (OGT 2026). The forum will take place on October 21–23, 2026, in Ashgabat.
This partnership reflects both the expansion of «SOCAR»'s international operations and the growing strategic importance of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
OGT 2026—Turkmenistan's leading international energy forum—will bring together national and international energy companies, investors, financial institutions, technology providers, and high-level executives representing various sectors of the global energy industry.
Participation of «SOCAR» in the 31st Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan International Conference and Exhibition holds special significance amid the ongoing expansion of the company's activities in exploration and production, refining, trading, gas business, and international investments. Simultaneously, «SOCAR» is implementing a long-term strategy focused on energy security, innovation, digitalization, and energy transition.
In line with its Corporate Strategy up to 2035, «SOCAR» continues to expand its international presence while increasing operational efficiency, developing technological capabilities, and implementing projects aimed at reducing carbon impact.
Speaking at OGT 2025 in Ashgabat, the President of «SOCAR» Rovshan Najaf emphasized the growing importance of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in shaping the future of the Caspian region's energy landscape:
«Together, our partnership strengthens the position of the Caspian region as a strategic hub for sustainable energy».
Today, this vision becomes even more relevant as cooperation between the two countries expands across energy, transportation, trade, regional connectivity, and sustainable development.
From the Caspian to an Expanding International Portfolio
Today, «SOCAR»'s operations cover a wide range of areas in the energy sector, including hydrocarbon exploration and production, transportation, refining, petrochemicals, trading, retail, and energy infrastructure. At the same time, the company is developing new business lines associated with the global energy transition.
In recent years, «SOCAR» has significantly accelerated the geographical diversification of its international portfolio. One of the most notable steps was the expansion of its presence in Italy through the acquisition of «Italiana Petroli» (IP), strengthening the company's downstream position in one of Europe's largest energy markets.
«SOCAR» also continues to expand its upstream project portfolio, having acquired participating interests in the offshore Tamar gas field in Israel and the Baleine offshore project in Côte d'Ivoire.
Collectively, these investments reflect «SOCAR»'s broader corporate strategy of combining its traditional resource base in the Caspian region with promising upstream, midstream, downstream, and trading assets across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.
Expanding Operations in Central Asia
SOCAR's growing cooperation with Uzbekistan is of particular importance for the development of the energy sector across Central Asia.
Under a Production Sharing Agreement, the parties are conducting exploration and potential hydrocarbon production in the Ustyurt region. This project highlights increasing focus of «SOCAR» on Central Asia and the Caspian region as destinations of long-term strategic priority.
A major new milestone was the joining of the British company bp to the project.
The implementation of this project demonstrates ability of «SOCAR» to reinforce its regional position and bring together leading international energy companies within joint investment structures.
Contributing to Europe's Energy Security
The Southern Gas Corridor has become a vital component of Europe's modern energy architecture.
The commissioning of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in late 2020 and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy between Azerbaijan and the European Union in 2022 laid the foundation for long-term engagement.
Today, Azerbaijani natural gas is supplied to 16 countries, including 10 European Union member states.
In turn, «SOCAR Trading» continues to enhance the company's global trading and marketing capabilities, linking Caspian energy resources and broader commodity flows with global energy markets.
Together, these developments signal consistent transformation of «SOCAR» into a diversified international integrated energy group, spanning upstream, downstream, retail, gas supply, infrastructure, and global trading.
Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan: strategic partnership in the Caspian
Against the backdrop of «SOCAR»'s international expansion, cooperation with Turkmenistan maintains a special strategic priority.
The opening of 's representative office «SOCAR» in Ashgabat in 2023 established a permanent institutional framework for further advancing engagement with Turkmenistan and its national energy companies.
SOCAR maintains an active dialogue with the State concerns «Türkmennebit» and «Türkmengaz», while the bilateral agenda between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan increasingly encompasses offshore Caspian energy cooperation, hydrocarbon resource development, regional connectivity, and new commercial opportunities.
One of the key symbols of this relationship remains the «Dostluk» field in the Caspian Sea.
In January 2021, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan signed an intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding on the joint exploration and development of hydrocarbon resources at the «Dostluk» field.
This agreement marked a major milestone in bilateral relations, paving the way for further collaboration and signaling a transition from parallel national energy strategies to closer joint engagement in the Caspian.
The significance of this partnership extends far beyond a single offshore field.
Azerbaijan's well-developed export infrastructure and Turkmenistan's vast hydrocarbon resources form a natural foundation for expanding cooperation in energy transit, trade, transportation, technologies, investments, and sustainable development.
This interaction already operates on a practical infrastructural level: the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline—Azerbaijan's main export crude route—transports crude oil from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan alongside Azerbaijani crude. This serves as an active example of cross-border Caspian infrastructure cooperation that holds potential for further expansion.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan occupy critical positions in emerging transport and energy corridors linking Central Asia, the Caspian region, the South Caucasus, Türkiye, and European markets.
Deepening cooperation between the two nations will therefore support not only bilateral energy relations but also the broader economic connectivity of the entire Caspian region.
Expanding Regional Role
The growth of «SOCAR»'s operations in Central Asia, Europe, and international upstream projects increasingly positions the company as a bridge connecting the Caspian region with global energy markets.
Expanding operations in Uzbekistan add a strong Central Asian dimension to the company's profile, while business growth in Italy, international exploration projects, and long-term gas supply agreements continue to reinforce its global presence.
For Turkmenistan, this creates new avenues for engagement with a neighboring Caspian energy company that combines deep regional knowledge with a rapidly expanding international platform.
For Azerbaijan, strengthening ties with Turkmenistan helps solidify the Caspian region as a space of energy integration, connectivity, and investment.
All of these elements lend special relevance to bilateral energy dialogue within the framework of OGT.
OGT 2026: Energy. Partnership. Progress.
The role of «SOCAR» as the General Partner of the 31st Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan International Conference and Exhibition goes far beyond a corporate presence at the forum.
It underscores the relationship between two leading Caspian energy producers whose cooperation is closely aligned with broader priorities of energy security, investment, regional connectivity, technological development, and sustainable growth.
OGT 2026 will be held under the motto: «Energy. Partnership. Progress». The conference agenda will focus on major investment opportunities in Turkmenistan's energy sector, the continued development of the «Galkynyş» gas field, natural gas export route diversification, the TAPI pipeline project, prospects for developing Turkmen offshore Caspian fields, gas processing, digitalization, methane emissions reduction, low-carbon technologies, and new models of international cooperation.
The event is organized by the State concerns «Türkmennebit» and «Türkmengaz» and the State сorporation «Türkmengeologiýa» in partnership with «Turkmen Energy Forum».
The previous OGT forum gathered over 1,400 delegates from 70 countries, confirming its status as one of Central Asia's premier international energy platforms.
OGT 2026 is set to build on this momentum, placing an even sharper focus on investment opportunities, technology, structured business networking, and practical commercial outcomes.
As the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in the Caspian continues to deepen alongside «SOCAR»'s expanding international portfolio, 31st Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan International Conference and Exhibition will serve as an essential platform for translating this positive momentum into new projects, technologies, investments, and long-term cooperation.