The Russian-Turkmen Business Forum has wrapped up in Ashgabat. The Russian delegation was headed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Minister Maxim Reshetnikov and his Deputy Dmitry Volvach took part in the event on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.
At the panel sessions of the forum, Russian-Turkmen cooperation in the field of transport and logistics, industry, education, digital agenda and other areas of interaction between the two countries were discussed.
Representatives of the business communities of the two countries took part in industry B2B meetings, and entrepreneurs from Russia were able to fully immerse themselves in the business environment of Turkmenistan, acquire new useful contacts and for the first time widely present their products to Turkmen partners within the framework of the new trade and exhibition platform – the Turkmen-Russian Entrepreneur’s House, which was inaugurated as part of the business forum.
Within the framework of the forum program, a joint meeting of the Turkmen-Russian and Russian-Turkmen Business Councils was held. Dmitry Volvach made a welcoming speech at the meeting.
“Following the results of the two-day work at the forum, Russian and Turkmen companies signed more than fifty bilateral contracts totaling 150 billion ruble (approx. – US $ 2.18 billion at the current exchange rate of– as of 20 Jan 2023),” said Dmitry Volvach.
“Turkmenistan is a reliable partner in the field of industrial cooperation. Entrepreneurs of our countries are ready to develop new projects. With the support of the Russian Export Center, whose leadership has been working at the forum these days, projects are being implemented to upgrade the fleet of rolling stock of Turkmen railways, freight cars and equipment,” he added.
According to the deputy minister, Turkmenistan is important for Russian business from the point of view of import substitution. The country supplies wool, cotton, chemical fibers and synthetic fabrics all over the world. Turkmen textiles have already appeared in Russian stores. In 2022, the export of agricultural products from Turkmenistan increased many times – these are tomatoes, grapes, apples and pears.
“The Russian market is interested in increasing the supply of agricultural products and textiles from Turkmenistan. Turkmen colleagues are helping our country to rebuild the configuration of imports,” the Volvach stressed.
“We, in turn, are ready to increase the volume of non-primary exports and products of high complexity: chemical, machine-technical, pipe, oil and gas equipment. Such products are necessary for large infrastructure projects that are being actively implemented in Turkmenistan today”, he told.
At the moment, according to Dmitry Volvach, more than 20 investment projects with Russian participation worth US $ 3.5 billion are being implemented in Turkmenistan. New ones are being prepared for launch: in transport, construction, automotive and shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, geological exploration, and the oil and gas industry.
Last year, service centers for the repair and maintenance of Kamaz vehicles were launched, this year it is planned to open another service center. Russian railways plans to participate in projects to modernize the railway and transport infrastructure. Shipbuilding companies from Tatarstan and St. Petersburg are negotiating the construction of two ferries and one cargo ship for Turkmenistan.
“We expect that after the forum there will be more such cooperation projects at the interregional level,” the deputy minister said.
“These days, a number of Russian companies from Tatarstan and the Chelyabinsk region are signing commercial contracts with Turkmen partners, the leadership of the Astrakhan region approves a memorandum of cooperation on the creation of a logistics center of Turkmenistan in the port economic zone”, he stated.
He also noted that Russian regions are interested in replicating such projects and attracting investments from Turkmenistan. Especially now, when new markets and niches are opening up in Russia, and the Russian government and the regions have significantly simplified the work for businesses by adapting state support mechanisms to the current situation.
“The Russian side is ready for mutual technology exchange with Turkmenistan. We have formed a package of proven mechanisms to improve tax and cadastral accounting. There are technologies for the use of navigation seals and the introduction of digital services in the field of rail transportation. We are also ready to adapt a digital service in the field of small and medium–sized businesses for Turkmen companies, which helps businesses seamlessly integrate into production supply chains, develop industrial cooperation and obtain long-term contracts,” Dmitry Volvach concluded.///cross-post from Ministry of economic development of Russia, 20 January 2023