From September 25 to 27, 2026, the Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, paid a working visit to Ashgabat at the invitation of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Turkmenistan, Yazdursun Gurbannazarova.

During the visit, bilateral meetings were held at the Office of the Ombudsman of Turkmenistan, the Parliament (Mejlis), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the meeting with the Commissioner for Human Rights of Turkmenistan, the parties discussed the importance of the long-standing cooperation between their institutions. Yazdursun Gurbannazarova spoke positively about the work of the Georgian Public Defender’s Office - particularly the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) - and expressed readiness to draw upon the Georgian experience in establishing a national preventive mechanism. The parties agreed to sign a memorandum of cooperation next year to mark the 10th anniversary of the Ombudsman institution of Turkmenistan.

During the visit to Ashgabat, the Public Defender also met with the Chair of the Committee on International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations of the Parliament of Turkmenistan and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The meetings focused on the 30-year practice of the Public Defender’s Office, its institutional development, and the structure of the annual parliamentary report. Discussions also addressed the situation of women’s rights, including the strengthening of women’s participation in the legislative process and decision-making within the Parliament. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan emphasized the importance of sharing the practice of the Public Defender of Georgia, an institution recognized as one of the best in the region and possessing a broad mandate.

As part of the events dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence, Levan Ioseliani—together with Konstantine Sabiashvili, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Turkmenistan, and representatives of the diplomatic corps - participated in a flower-laying ceremony at the Independence Monument and visited the Embassy of Georgia in Turkmenistan.