As part of his official visit to the Italian Republic, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov participated in the Turkmen-Italian Business Forum on October 25, TDH reports.

The head of state addressed representatives of the Italian business community, outlining Turkmenistan's priority approaches to developing mutually beneficial partnerships. Specifically, the President proposed long-term cooperation with Italian businesses in the strategic areas of energy and transport.

"Italian businesses have been present in Turkmenistan for many years in the oil and gas sector, the hotel industry, and are implementing a number of projects in construction and trade. At the same time, it is clear that today the potential of Turkmenistan and Italy is much broader. Our joint efforts can and should encompass other areas, including strategic ones, and focus on long-term cooperation. I am primarily referring to energy and transport," the President noted. "Turkmenistan is considering the prospects of a western route for its energy supplies. We are ready for a substantive and engaged dialogue on this issue with our Italian partners," the head of state added.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed going beyond the export of raw energy resources and invited "Italian companies to participate in and invest in projects to supply electricity from Turkmenistan to European countries. Practical prerequisites are being created for this; in particular, a 1,574-megawatt power plant is being built on Turkmenistan's Caspian coast”.

The president also expressed his readiness to "work with Italian partners on the use of wind and solar energy”.

"We expect that Italy, as a respected and authoritative member of the European Union, will support the process of inclusive energy dialogue with Europe. We would like to leverage bilateral ties and existing mutual understanding in the context of activating the European vector of our energy policy. I am convinced that the fundamental, long-term goals of Turkmenistan and Italy coincide in this regard," the head of state emphasized.

In his speech, the President noted that in previous years, a partnership had been established with the Italian oil company Eni, which has been operating in Turkmenistan since 2008. Italian companies supply equipment and materials for Turkmenistan's oil and gas sector. In 2024, contracts were signed with ProBusiness, Chimec, and Comair.

Speaking about prospects for cooperation in the transportation sector, Serdar Berdimuhamedov invited Italian companies to participate in the creation of the Caspian-Mediterranean corridor between Asia and Europe. "Extensive opportunities for developing partnerships are opening up in the transportation sector. Here, we attach special importance to the creation of the Caspian-Mediterranean corridor between Asia and Europe. It is clear that Turkmenistan and Italy, due to their geographic location, are destined to play key roles in its creation," Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted.

"In this logistics configuration, the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea is of paramount importance." Turkmenistan today has a robust port infrastructure on the Caspian Sea and is ready to cooperate in utilizing it for trans-Caspian transit westward, the President believes.

"I am convinced that the logistical capabilities of the port of Turkmenbashi could be attractive to Italian business circles evaluating the opportunity to establish and strengthen their presence in the Central Asian and Caspian regions. We invite Italian companies to consider the prospects of their participation in this major project," the Turkmen leader said.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov also expressed the idea of ​​initiating cooperation in the field of rail transport. "In the transport sector, we also see good opportunities for cooperation with Italian companies in modernizing Turkmenistan's railway network," the President noted.

"Turkmenistan views Italy as one of its priority partners, with whom we intend to build long-term relations. We see real opportunities opening up today and are ready for a broad and engaged dialogue in all areas," the head of state emphasized.

Noting that he views this meeting as an important step toward establishing and strengthening long-term trade, economic, and investment ties between Italy's business community and our country, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov invited representatives of the Italian business community to engage in broad, full-fledged cooperation.