Turkmenistan in UN diplomacy: Ashgabat outlined its priorities for the 81st UN General Assembly, stressing restoring trust, preventive diplomacy, transport connectivity, depoliticized energy dialogue, climate action, humanitarian cooperation and responsible use of new technologies, including AI. Cotton harvest coercion claims: Reports say public employees in Turkmenistan are paying monthly fees (20–380 manats) to avoid forced work in the cotton fields, with quotas and “voluntary” paperwork used to pressure staff. UN capacity-building: The UN Country Team in Turkmenistan became the first to pilot the G-PESTLE strategic foresight framework, aiming to spot emerging risks and opportunities for long-term planning. Energy cooperation with Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s power utility says it met with TAPI project officials on progress for a 500-kilovolt transmission line and related substation work, to boost electricity imports from Turkmenistan. WTO progress update: Turkmenistan’s MFA says accession preparations accelerated in 2026, including plans for a national negotiating group and a designated chairing state for the WTO working party. Regional ties via education: China’s embassy in Turkmenistan handed admission notifications to scholarship students, highlighting growing education cooperation.