Oriented on making people closer

As part of Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's official visit to Italy, a Turkmen-Italian Business Forum, bringing together representatives of the business communities of both countries was held in Rome. The forum, attended by the President of Turkmenistan, was hailed as a new stage in strengthening trade, economic, and investment partnerships.

At the opening of the forum, Giorgio Cilli, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy said that this event is another important step towards further rapprochement between our countries.

"The government is making determined efforts to ensure that Italian companies can effectively compete for the significant opportunities opening up in Turkmenistan in the energy, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, as well as in defense and security," the Deputy Minister emphasized, noting the growing strategic importance of Central Asia for the global geopolitical balance and the deep ties that unite it with Italy, as evidenced by the intensification of the mechanism for periodic consultations with the five Central Asian countries in the "1+5" format.

The country's development potential is quite high, as evidenced by the interest of Italian business circles in Turkmenistan's efforts to diversify its economy. The event, organized jointly by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy), the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, was attended by over 150 representatives of organizations and businesses from both countries. A number of agreements were signed during the event, particularly in the textile, energy, and cybersecurity sectors.

In his address to the participants, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the main goal of the meeting was to give a powerful impetus to bilateral ties through direct business dialogue and create tangible preconditions for moving to a qualitatively new level of partnership.

Four Strategic Development Vectors

The head of state outlined four strategic goals defining Turkmenistan's long-term development prospects and opening up broad opportunities for Italian business:

Industrialization. Fundamental transformation of the economy from a raw materials-based model to an industrial one, introducing high-tech, knowledge-intensive industries, as well as the formation of a "green economy" with a minimal carbon footprint.

Diversification. Structural and geographic diversification of the economy, including the modernization of industries such as chemical and textile industries, agricultural processing, and construction materials production.

Transportation Hub. Transforming the country into a key hub for East-West and North-South transportation and creating a modern logistics infrastructure.

Hydrocarbon Processing. Creating a full-fledged national gas processing industry to produce high-quality products oriented toward foreign markets.

Proposals for Italian Business

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized strategic areas where cooperation should be expanded.

Energy and Transit: Turkmenistan is ready for a meaningful dialogue on the prospects of a Western route for its energy supplies. The head of state invited Italian companies to invest in projects to supply electricity from Turkmenistan to European countries (including the construction of a 1,574 MW power plant in the Caspian Sea). Cooperation in wind and solar energy was also proposed.

Logistics and Transport: The two countries' key role in creating the Caspian-Mediterranean corridor between Asia and Europe was noted. Italian circles were invited to utilize the potential of the port of Turkmenbashi for trans-Caspian transit and to participate in the modernization of Turkmenistan's railway network.

Textile Industry: Given that approximately one thousand units of Italian equipment are already in use in Turkmenistan, the creation of joint ventures for clothing production has been proposed. The contribution of Italian technology and expertise could contribute to the development of the entire supply chain, increasing the volume and value of finished product exports.

Financial Sector: A commitment to facilitating a partnership between the Italian State Export Credit Agency (SACE) and Turkmen banks to optimize the financial and credit system has been confirmed.

Digitalization: Extensive scope for cooperation in high-tech sectors—communications, IT, space exploration, and the creation of smart cities—has been noted. The heads of Italian companies, including ENI (which supports the strategy to reduce methane emissions), Leonardo S.p.A. (which called Turkmenistan a key strategic partner in Central Asia), and Italferr (which highlighted the country's role as a logistics hub), confirmed their interest in deepening cooperation.

A Package of Bilateral Documents Signed at the Forum

Following the Forum and subsequent breakout sessions, a ceremony was held to exchange and sign a significant package of bilateral documents aimed at long-term cooperation.

This includes a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic on cooperation in personnel training.

Cultural and media relations are enshrined in an Agreement on Cultural Cooperation between the governments of the two countries, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Television, Radio Broadcasting, and Cinematography and the Italian Public Broadcasting Company RAI.

A joint Declaration on future customs cooperation was also adopted between the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan and the Customs and Monopoly Agency of Italy.

A Confidentiality Agreement was concluded between the State Cybersecurity Service under the Ministry of Communications of Turkmenistan and Leonardo-Societa per azioni. The Ministry of Communications of Turkmenistan also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with this company.

A number of agreements were signed in the textile industry: Memoranda of Understanding between the Ministry of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan and four leading Italian companies: Marzoli Machines Textile S.M.L., Itema S.p.A., MCS Dyeing & Finishing Machinery, and Savio Maccine Tessili S.p.A.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and Pietro Fiorentini S.p.A. aims to expand cooperation in the energy sector.

The successful holding of the Turkmen-Italian Business Forum and the impressive package of agreements signed demonstrated the parties' willingness to expand the horizons of a long-term and effective partnership.

The event also included a series of informal meetings between Italian companies and Turkmen partners.

According to the Italian Trade Agency (ITA/ICE), total trade with Turkmenistan amounted to €44.5 million in the first six months of 2025. Italian exports to the country are becoming increasingly diversified, including industrial machinery, transport equipment, chemical products, and technologies for sectors such as the textile industry.

ORIENT

Photo: ice.it