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Continuing a cycle of publications devoted to thematic events on the margins of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), which will be held in Avaza national tourist zone in August, one should point out that Turkmenistan, as an active participant of global processes and committed to principles of multilateral diplomacy, displays a dynamic development of cooperation with the United Nations Organization.
Turkmenistan chosen as a receiving party of the Forum speaks recognition of its role in the regional and world policy as well as aspirations to sustainable development and partnership.
Besides traditional areas of cooperation, such as peace-making, humanitarian activity and achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs), a remarkable expansion of interaction with the United Nations in the sphere of economic development is observed. It includes not only state initiatives, but also more and more active involvement of the private sector of Turkmenistan in realisation of joint projects and programs. The given aspect – the role of private sector in the context of cooperation with the United Nations and forthcoming conference on LLDCs - deserves special attention.
In recent years, our country has followed the course for diversification of economy and development of market relations that led to the considerable strengthening of positions of the private sector.
Entrepreneurship in Turkmenistan actively develops, covering different branches - from agriculture and manufacture of consumer goods to the sphere of services, construction and high technologies. Easy term loans, tax relaxation and creation of favourable investment climate in the country play a key role in growth of small and medium size businesses.
Besides it, such important initiatives, as facilitation of business initiatives of citizens, encouragement of investment activity, privatisation of state ownership and creation of joint-stock companies, pursuance of scientifically well-founded economic policy under the conditions of market relations, as a result of which - full maintenance of home market with local produces were achieved.
The legislation regulating related relations is improved and the effective budgetary, tax and bank policy is carried out. In the Program “Revival of the New Era of the Powerful State: National Program for Socio-Economic Development of Turkmenistan in 2022–2052” and the Program of Socio-Economic Development and Investments of Turkmenistan in 2025 a great significance is attached to wide introduction of state-private partnership, effective methods of management, active involvement of entrepreneurs in this activity under the conditions of market relations.
Definition of privatisation of state ownership and transformation of enterprises into joint-stock companies as priority goals is an efficient tool for promotion of encouragement of private investment activity and wide use of potential of entrepreneurship in all branches of economy.
At the initiative of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of the country the economic society «Hil standart» in Turkmenistan creates the Laboratory centre for inspection of safety of food production, competence of which was confirmed by the International Accreditation Standard ISO/IEC17025:2017. The Received international certificates ISO and HACCP testify to the high quality and ecological safety of articles of food produced by local enterprises.
Creation of the brand «Made in Turkmenistan», definition of criteria of its assignment considerably enhances the responsibility of local manufacturers and prestige of our state as manufacturer of competitive production in the international market, promotes increase in the export potential and attraction of investments.
The private sector becomes a driving force of innovations and promotes creation of new workplaces, bringing an essential contribution to formation of GDP of the country. Local entrepreneurs actively master modern technologies raise the quality of production and services and enter international markets. This dynamics confirms the ability of national business to adapt to changing conditions and to realise its potential in global economy.
Development of the non-government sector is inseparably linked with fulfilment of national programs and the strategy aimed at achievement of SDGs. Entrepreneurs more often integrate sustainable development principles into the activity, realising projects, which promote improvement of the ecological situation, social responsibility and economic growth. Thus, the private sector acts not only a source of economic prosperity, but also an important partner in achievement of long-term objectives of development of the country.
According to the requirements of the time, the country pays the special attention to perfection of its scientific -educational basis. So, in 2025, which marks the 30th anniversary of the status of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, a qualitatively new stage in the history of the local entrepreneurship was opened, an accelerated development of which remains to be one of the key factors of formation of competitive national economy.
Steadily continuing a well-balanced strategy of social and economic development of the country initiated by National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty Hero-Arkadag, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov places a due emphasis on necessity of expansion of the private sector, which plays an important role in increase of export possibilities of Turkmenistan, creation of new industrial productions and strengthening of food abundance.
In reply to modern challenges and for the purpose of strengthening of scientific-educational potential, the head of the state signed the Decree on establishment of the International University of industrialists and entrepreneurs. The Board of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan initiated the given decision adopted at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on June 27 of the current year.
The new higher educational institution is urged to provide training, retraining and improvement of professional skill of the personnel for entrepreneurship and business sectors. The international university, which will be located in a new building, will begin enrolment of students for bachelor degree programs in the 2025-2026 educational year.
According to the document, the Ministry of Education was instructed to provide assistance in development and approval of the Charter and structure of the university as well as in procedure of licensing and state accreditation. The curricula will be developed according to international standards. For conduction of classes, it is planned to involve foreign teachers and experts.
The international university of industrialists and entrepreneurs will become a key centre of training of the highly skilled personnel, capable to promote further development of the private sector of economy and to bring a contribution to steady prosperity of the country.
On the sidelines of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, organisation of the Forum of the private sector, which becomes a unique platform for strengthening of positions of small and medium size businesses of Turkmenistan and its integration into global chains of deliveries, is planned. Realising the importance of entrepreneurship for landlocked developing countries, organizers of the Forum will give particular attention to its role in overcoming the challenges connected with the geographical position.
On the margins of the Conference special sessions and the events devoted to issues of entrepreneurship, attraction of investments, development of logistics and transport corridors as well as expansion of commercial relations will take place. Turkmen entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to present the projects, to exchange experience with colleagues from other countries and to come into new business contacts. It will create favourable conditions for conclusion of mutually beneficial agreements and realisation of joint initiatives.
The special attention will be given to digitization and introduction of innovative technologies in the private sector. The landlocked developing countries face the necessity of search of new ways to ensure competitiveness and digital solutions can become one of the key tools in this process. The Turkmen private sector already shows appreciable successes in this sphere, and its experience can be useful to other participants of the Conference.
One should note that specialists of the enterprise «Agzybirlik tilsimaty», based at the Centre of computer technologies of the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of the country jointly with leading Chinese companies «Hengsheng Lianhua Investment Management Co. Ltd and Tongfang Hongkong Limited are involved in implementation of plans for digitalization of state trade enterprises in Ashgabat. The equipment manufactured under the trademark «Agzybirlik tilsimaty», including computers with touch screens, check printers, bar code printers and scanners, allow supervising trade organisation in an automatic mode.
Turkmen entrepreneurship is not limited to traditional fields of activity. More and more companies invest in innovative projects promoting sustainable development, including introduction of power effective technologies, development of renewed energy sources, manufacture of non-polluting production and use of energy saving methods.
For example, in the sphere of agriculture, farmers actively apply advanced agro-technologies, systems of drip irrigation and organic methods of agriculture that allows not only increasing productivity, but also rational use of water resources. The number of the enterprises that introduce standards of ecological management and reduction of volumes of waste grows in the industrial sector.
Besides it, Turkmen businesspersons actively participate in realisation of social projects, supporting education, public health services and culture. It testifies to formation of socially responsible business, which realises its role in development of society and brings a contribution to solution of priority goals in the country.
Successful experience of the Turkmen private sector in the field of innovations and sustainable development can become an example for landlocked developing countries, which face similar challenges and aspire to achievement of SDGs.
The Conference, which is to be organized in Avaza national tourist zone, will give new possibilities to deepen cooperation between the private sector of Turkmenistan and international organisations, including various agencies of the United Nations, financial institutions and donor organisations. Today an active interaction on the sidelines of the projects aimed at development of entrepreneurship, export potential and attraction of foreign investments is observed.
So, on the margins of cooperation with UNDP, UNICEF, UNCTAD and other agencies of the United Nations, Turkmen entrepreneurs get access to advanced knowledge, technologies and the best world experts. It promotes increase of competitiveness of their production and expansion of possibilities to access new markets. Programs on development of women’s entrepreneurship, innovative projects, support of start-ups are a vivid example of such interaction.
Participation in the international exhibitions, forums and the trade missions organised with support of the United Nations, allows Turkmen companies to come into direct contacts with potential partners and investors from every corner of the globe. It promotes diversification of export commodity classification and increase in volumes of foreign trade turnover.
Among important areas of foreign trade - constant perfection of trade operations according to international standards, introduction of modern technologies and digital system in practice. The Memorandum of mutual understanding between the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on the sidelines of the regional project «Simplification of procedures of trade in Central Asia» signed in March of 2024 also attests to the fact.
The international business relations of our country received a concrete definition in a number of signed agreements and establishment of partnership relations with world business circles and in the opening of trade missions and trade houses abroad.
The meetings, which were held in 2024 with foreign colleagues on various platforms, also testify to the importance of development of international contacts of local businesspersons.
In this connection, one should mark that on the margins of the official visit of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to Malaysia in December 2024, a number of documents, including the Memorandum of mutual understanding between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia were signed.
In September, 2024 during the investment Forum, held in Ashgabat, the Memorandum of mutual understanding on cooperation in the field of textile industry between the German company «Trützschler Group SE» and the Ministry of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan was signed.
The agenda of the joint business forum of countries-participants of the Dialogue «Central Asia- Japan» held in August of the past year in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan included key aspects of regional integration, plans of further expansion of multilateral cooperation and support of projects of industrial cooperation, and realisation of joint programs in priority areas.
The representative Forum defined new possibilities for partnership, gave an impulse to deepening of regional interaction in the six-sided format. Agreements on the strengthening of business relations between the countries-participants of the dialogue were also reached. Following the results of the joint business forum, a number of documents were signed.
Besides it, the International forum «Investments into the future of Turkmenistan» held in March of this year on the margins of the exhibition on the occasion of 17th anniversary of establishment of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs became an important platform for discussion of investment possibilities in the private sector of the country, exchange of experience and development of mutually beneficial state-private partnership.
Following the results of the Forum, bilateral documents were signed. In particular, Framework agreements and Memorandums of mutual understanding between representatives of the private sector of our country and companies from the Russian Federation, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Republic of Kazakhstan and People’s Republic of China were signed.
Presentations of new production, investment projects of private enterprises of Turkmenistan were also held. In this connection, the special attention was given to economic efficiency of proposed projects and their conformity to ecological requirements.
On the sidelines of the International forum bilateral meetings, in which perspective areas of interaction are planned, were held.
In the given context, one should note that mutually beneficial cooperation between the private sector of Turkmenistan and international organisations is a key factor for further development of national economy and its integration into the global economic system.
The Forum of the private sector to be held on the margins of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Turkmenistan will become a major landmark in the history of development of entrepreneurship of the country and will considerably strengthen its positions on the international scene. This event will not only evoke an interest in Turkmen business, its possibilities, but also serve a stimulus for further development of market mechanisms and attraction of foreign investments.
Thus, dynamical development of the private sector of the Turkmen state in combination with active cooperation with the United Nations Organization will create a strong basis for long-term steady growth.
