~~Due to the efforts of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his foreign open-doors policy, Turkmenistan has taken a worthy place in the Community of Nations, has gained enormous prestige in the world and has begun to play an ever-increasing role on the international arena, further strengthening its position as a universally recognised centre of peacekeeping and cooperation for the sake of universal good. The decisive condition for the comprehensive development of the country is the deep reformation of its economic system based on the transition to market relations.
~~Due to the efforts of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his foreign open-doors policy, Turkmenistan has taken a worthy place in the Community of Nations, has gained enormous prestige in the world and has begun to play an ever-increasing role on the international arena, further strengthening its position as a universally recognised centre of peacekeeping and cooperation for the sake of universal good. The decisive condition for the comprehensive development of the country is the deep reformation of its economic system based on the transition to market relations.
The successes achieved in the development of the economy of Turkmenistan over the past decade are the result of the implementation of radical comprehensive transformations initiated by the national leader. Without compromising the interests of people, the state has made a great spurt forward in the development of productive forces. Moreover, it was these interests that were put at the forefront of the on-going economic reforms. A diversified industry, being supplied with the latest equipment and working using advanced technologies, has been created in the country.
The formation of a market economy in such a rapidly developing country as Turkmenistan is accelerated by a well-chosen model of economic strategy focused on export diversification, economic restructuration, ensuring the balanced development of all sectors and regions of the country, increase in the production of high-quality goods and reduction of their cost. Export diversification is characterised by the multi-variant character of transit to world markets of Turkmenistan’s economic potential. The choice of importing countries is determined by the demand for Turkmen finished products. This provides the increased competitiveness of the economy as the basis for Turkmenistan to achieve an industrial level of development.
The Turkmen market attracts foreign partners, first of all, with the open-doors policy, vigorously pursued by the head of state, which, together with the existing solid legislative base that complies with international standards and guarantees investment protection, and with favourable taxation conditions, has created the most favourable treatment for foreign business. The favourable geographical position of the country, its long-lasting social stability and sustainable economic growth also contribute to this.
Having created a favourable investment climate, Turkmenistan invites everyone who is interested in cooperation, ensuring strict fulfilment of its obligations. And, as a result, hundreds of foreign firms and companies are fruitfully working in the Turkmen market today, with the help of which all branches of the economy are re-equipped, enterprises fitted with modern equipment, educational establishments and medical facilities, residential buildings, among others, are being built. Foreign companies operating in Turkmenistan play a positive role in attracting new equipment and technologies to the country, modern methods of international marketing and advanced managerial experience and contribute to accelerating the integration of the national economy into the world one.
The diversification of the country’s economy is one of the main requirements when forming market relations. In the sectors of the economy and the service sphere, the competitiveness of final products and the quality of services offered is the dominant factor. Management and marketing services have been created at enterprises in order to search for ways to market their products. Products under the brand name “Made in Turkmenistan” are increasingly attracting the attention of foreign buyers. Textiles, carpet articles, food products, mineral fertilisers, cement, iodine and its derivatives, ammonia, petrol, carbamide, sheet glass, methanol, potash fertilisers – this is not a complete list of industrial products in great demand abroad. Next in line is the formation of enterprises of the heavy industry.
As the head of state Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasises, “In order to produce high-tech products with a high export component, it is necessary to develop and approve a programme for establishing joint ventures supplied with equipment in accordance with international standards and technologies.” One of the best ways for Turkmenistan to become a developed country of the world is to strengthen bilateral relations with all countries of the planet. Such cooperation is carried out through an effective mechanism, the Intergovernmental Commissions for Trade, Economic, Scientific, Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation with other countries, which are an effective platform for the exchange of views between representatives of business and government sectors of the countries. The Commissions discuss and make decisions on very important issues, develop and submit for approval agreements and treaties on various problems of mutually beneficial cooperation and consider ways to further develop mutual cooperation. For example, in order to further develop cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan, the President of Turkmenistan issued a decree approving the membership of the Turkmenistan–Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation from the Turkmen party.
Turkmenistan, realising its own development model, being at a new round of transformations, has achieved serious successes due to the wise and balanced policy of the respected President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Today, our country is able to carry out more productive diversification of the use of its resources. Along the way to the export of Turkmenistan’s products to international markets, one of the main components is a transit line, which entails a change in the value of exported goods. To this end, the creation of a network of routes through the territories of the countries of the neighbouring partners for the delivery of Turkmenistan’s exported resources and finished products to world markets is rather crucial. Examples of this are the laying of the routes Turkmenistan–Iran–Persian Gulf, opening access to the Persian Gulf to dozens of European and Asian countries; Turkmenistan–Azerbaijan–Georgia–the Black Sea, whose destination ports, along with pipeline and land routes, will allow Turkmenistan to develop its fleet. This is facilitated by the on-going programme to create an infrastructure in a number of strategic areas: Europe–Asia, North–South, Turkmenistan–Southeast Asia and others. The signed Ashgabat Agreement on the creation of the Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan–Iran–Oman–Qatar international transport corridor will help strengthen and expand mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation among the participating countries through the efficient use and long-term development of transport and communications infrastructure and an increase in transit freight flows.
At each stage of the implementation of the National Programme of Socioeconomic Development until 2025, partnerships between Turkmenistan and other countries of the world are updated and concretised. Priorities are those areas of foreign economic relations that contribute to the accelerated movement towards the implementation of the strategic goals of the programme. Exports of energy carriers lead to the creation of long-term sales markets in China, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and European countries. Other market niches for the exports of Turkmen products are periodically modified, and the main criterion there is the competitiveness of Turkmen products.
The improvement of the country’s foreign trade relations will also be facilitated by the creation of free border economic and trade zones, the renewal of bilateral free trade agreements and customs exemptions, among others. Turkmenistan not only strengthens its position in the world market as a major supplier, but also qualitatively changes the nature of its presence in it due to the diversification of the commodity structure of exports and the active development of new forms of international dialogue.
The neutral status of our country is an effective positive factor for stability and sustainable development in the region, and the policy of the respected President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on the formation of an export-oriented market economy allows us to increase the competitiveness of our country at the international level and attract new finances to large industrial projects. Thus, our trade policy and also a policy aimed at the further integration of the Turkmen economy with the world one is being
