President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had a business breakfast with the representatives of Italy’s big businesses at the Rome Cavalieri Hotel on Thursday morning.
The heads of leading Italian companies, including Danieli, ENI, Leonardo SpA, Maire Tecnimont, Valvitalia, Thales Alenia Space, Bonatti, SACE, and Pietro Fiorentini attended the business meeting.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov personally greeted the businessmen.
The Head of State noted that Turkmenistan is in favor of establishing long-term, broad, multifaceted, productive trade, economic and investment ties with Italy.
The Turkmen Leader informed about the prospects for further expansion of bilateral cooperation in the textile industry and emphasized that today many enterprises of the industry in Turkmenistan are equipped with equipment of Italian companies such as Marzoli and Savio.
“Turkmenistan, being a producer of raw cotton, is focused on its full processing within the country with the aim of producing world-class textile products,” said the President of Turkmenistan. He then invited Italian companies to cooperate in the organization of joint production of high-quality textile products.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov informed that considering the trade figures of first 8 months of this year, Italy is the third largest trade partner of Turkmenistan.
Italy is one of the world leaders in the tourism industry, Turkmen Leader noted, Turkmenistan is interested in attracting Italian specialists to establish a modern tourism industry on a long-term basis.
The President of SACE Benjamin Quintieri emphasized the interest of Italian business circles in establishing a mutually beneficial partnership with Turkmenistan and confirmed the readiness of the SACE state export credit agency to provide all necessary support to companies and enterprises, including small and medium-sized businesses, expressing a desire to work in Turkmen market.
At a business forum held in Milan with the assistance of SACE, two Italian companies specializing in the field of textile industry and the railway industry signed relevant agreements with their Turkmen partners.
Chief Upstream Officer of Eni Spa Alessandro Puliti informed about his company’s successful work in Turkmenistan for more than 10 years and expressed the oil company’s intention to expand its presence in the Turkmen market.
CEO of Leonardo S.p.A., one of the largest machine-building holdings in Italy that which produces helicopters, airplanes, new-generation unmanned aerial vehicles, aviation and space systems, electronics, security and information protection systems Alessandro Profumo made a speech.
“Our company would be very interested in presenting relevant programs to profile enterprises of Turkmenistan,” said the head of Leonardo S.p.A.
Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Maire Tecnimont, expressed interest in implementing joint projects, particularly in the production of methanol and other gas chemical products.
Italian businesses discussed the partnership opportunities the leaders of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan at the business breakfast.
The parties exchanged views on the prospects and ways of intensifying business ties in the fuel and energy sector, trade and economic sphere, chemical, aviation and aerospace industry, transport, agriculture and water management, the construction industry and other equally important areas of joint areas of interests.
As for trade relations between entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan and Italy, the trade turnover between business representatives of the two countries amounted to about $9 million for the first 9 months of this year. UIET members collaborate with such leading Italian companies as Desmet Ballestra, SACMI, Fondital, Eurosicma, Navatta, and Storci.
Currently, there are more than 70 Italian companies in Turkmenistan.