Diplomatic relations were established on March 6, 1992 following the signing of a declaration of friendship.

[citation needed] The first official visit to Ashgabat by a French President was made on April 28, 1994 by François Mitterrand.

2 years later on September 9, 1996, Saparmurat Niyazov paid an official visit to France, where he held talks with President Jacques Chirac, and Foreign Minister Hervé de Charette.

In April 2008, French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Bernard Kouchner visited Turkmenistan to open a new building of the French Embassy in Ashgabat, with the Ambassador of France to Turkmenistan Christian Lechervy.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow visited Paris twice during his presidency, holding talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on February 1, 2012, and attending a prestigious horse race in October of that year.