Turkmenistan’s paramount leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was back in Ashgabat on February 20 following a below-the-radar visit to the United States that may have included a visit to Mar-a-Lago, US President Donald Trump’s compound-cum-private club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Turkmenistan’s tightly controlled media has said little about the visit, which reportedly lasted from February 16-18, other than to state that the Berdimuhamedov sought “to create favourable conditions for the further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation”. No US government agency has issued information about the trip. 

Local news outlets in Florida reported that a Turkmen government jet remained parked at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport for days. One report noted that the jet’s arrival on February 16 coincided with a time when Trump was at Mar-a-Lago, inferring that the two may have held private discussions at the club.

Berdimuhamedov’s stay in Florida may have been longer than originally planned. Photos taken by jet enthusiasts showed that the jet carrying Berdimuhamedov to Florida appeared upon landing to have experienced damage to its tail flaps. A second Turkmen jet later arrived to whisk the Turkmen leader back home. 

Fleeting footage of Berdimuhamedov, taken at a distance, boarding the aircraft appears to show him bowing slightly and holding one hand across his chest in a traditional gesture of gratitude, indicating that US officials may have been present at his departure.

What Berdimuhamedov possibly discussed with Trump, if a Mar-a-Lago meeting did occur, remains a matter of speculation. Although Turkmenistan has a reputation as one of the world’s most isolated and repressive states, Berdimuhamedov has signalled a desire of late to open up the country to trade. 

Gungodar, an independent website run by Turkmen exiles, noted that Turkmenistan shares a long border with Iran, a country currently in Trump’s crosshairs. “On the eve of a [potential] US military strike on Iran, they [Berdimuhamedov and Trump] probably have something to talk about," a February 17 commentary posted on the site suggested.

This article first appeared on Eurasianet here.