Turkmen President Outlines Priorities for Cooperation With Italy

President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov attended the Turkmen-Italian Business Forum during his official visit to Italy.

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Addressing the participants, the head of state expressed appreciation for the invitation to speak at such an important event. Warmly greeting representatives of Italian companies, business circles, and all attendees, President Berdimuhamedov noted that the strong representation was a clear sign of growing interest in Turkmenistan and a desire to expand mutually beneficial cooperation.

“The main goal of today’s meeting is to give powerful momentum to the entire range of Turkmen-Italian relations through direct business dialogue,” the president said. “We seek to create real conditions for moving our partnership to a new qualitative level that reflects modern trends in the global geo-economy and our shared opportunities and prospects. We are confident that all the conditions for this exist today.”

One of the key goals of Turkmenistan’s economic policy, he continued, is to stimulate long-term national development by attracting foreign investment. The president outlined the main directions, priorities, and strategic objectives of Turkmenistan’s economic growth.

The first goal is building an industrial society. Turkmenistan has embarked on a fundamental transformation of its national economy, shifting from a raw-material model to an industrial one by introducing high-tech, science-based production and constructing modern enterprises that produce goods with high added value. The country is forming a “green,” circular economy with a minimal hydrocarbon footprint.

The second goal is diversifying the economy—both structurally and geographically. This involves creating new industries and modernizing traditional ones. The president noted that Turkmenistan has already achieved impressive results in the chemical and textile industries, agricultural processing, and construction materials production.

Turkmenistan is actively entering new external markets and expanding cooperation with partners in Europe and Asia. This effort includes developing modern transport and logistics infrastructure to turn the country into a key hub along the East–West and North–South routes. This is the third strategic goal that Turkmenistan is steadily implementing.

As for the fourth goal, given its vast hydrocarbon reserves, Turkmenistan is developing a full-scale national gas-processing industry to produce high-quality, export-oriented products.

Diversification of energy export routes remains a top priority. The president emphasized that the country is constructing major pipelines, including westward routes. He added that Turkmenistan seeks an active role for Italian businesses in reforming the national economy and expanding international cooperation. “We are ready to provide all necessary conditions for Italian companies to work in Turkmenistan,” the president said.

President Berdimuhamedov noted that Italian companies have long been active in Turkmenistan’s oil and gas, hospitality, construction, and trade sectors. He highlighted the partnership with the leading Italian energy company Eni, which has operated in Turkmenistan since 2008, and pointed to Italy’s continued supply of equipment and technology for Turkmenistan’s energy industry.

He said Italy’s support for Turkmenistan’s international initiatives in sustainable energy demonstrates shared approaches to global energy security. For Turkmenistan, this concept primarily means the structural and geographical diversification of energy flows.

“Turkmenistan is exploring the potential of westward routes for its energy supplies,” the president said. “We are ready for practical and constructive dialogue with our Italian partners on this issue. At the same time, we propose going beyond raw exports.”

He invited Italian companies to participate in and invest in projects to supply Turkmen electricity to European markets. Practical steps toward this goal are already underway, including the construction of a 1,574-megawatt power plant on Turkmenistan’s Caspian coast. The president added that the country is also open to cooperation with Italian partners on wind and solar energy projects.

Wide opportunities for partnership exist in the transport sector, where the creation of a Caspian–Mediterranean corridor linking Asia and Europe holds particular importance. “It is clear,” the president said, “that Turkmenistan and Italy, given their geography, are destined to play key roles in this corridor.”

In this logistics framework, the eastern Caspian coast gains strategic value. Turkmenistan has developed powerful port infrastructure on the Caspian Sea and stands ready to cooperate on using it for trans-Caspian transit westward. The president expressed confidence that the logistics potential of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport could be attractive for Italian businesses seeking to strengthen their presence in Central Asia and the Caspian region.

In transportation, Turkmenistan also sees good prospects for cooperation with Italian companies in modernizing its railway network.

Textiles represent another dynamic area of bilateral cooperation. Several agreements in this field were planned for signing during the forum. About a thousand pieces of equipment from Italian firms such as Marzoli, Savio, and Cormatex are already in operation at Turkmen textile enterprises. Turkmenistan aims to expand exports of high-quality textiles, establish joint ventures to produce finished garments, and reach new markets.

Overall, the president said, Turkmenistan is ready to diversify exports to Italy and significantly expand their range, focusing on finished products. He emphasized that trade relations must be based on real market demand, a balanced assessment of potential, and long-term business planning.

In this context, he highlighted the importance of intensifying business exchanges, including the participation of Turkmen and Italian companies in exhibitions and fairs, and organizing targeted business trips to explore project opportunities.

Turkmenistan is currently optimizing its banking and financial sector and credit system. The president said the country is interested in Italian experience in financial system management, banking, insurance, and stock exchange operations. He confirmed Turkmenistan’s readiness to facilitate partnerships between Italian export credit agencies and Turkmen banks.

Beyond core industries, Turkmenistan is actively developing high-tech sectors such as communications, telecommunications, information technology, and space exploration. The country continues its digitalization drive across all sectors, including the creation of “smart” cities.

“Turkmenistan regards Italy as one of its priority partners and intends to build long-term relations,” President Berdimuhamedov said. “We see real opportunities opening today and are ready for broad and constructive dialogue in all areas. This approach is based on our growing mutual understanding of priorities and perspectives in bilateral partnership, as well as trends in global economic development.”

Concluding his address, President Berdimuhamedov described the forum as an important step toward establishing and strengthening long-term trade, economic, and investment ties between Turkmenistan and Italy. He invited Italian business representatives to engage in broad and meaningful cooperation and wished all participants successful and productive work.