Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 3
By Huseyn Hasanov– Trend:
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, during his working visit to the US, took part in a joint Turkmenistan –US business forum, the Turkmenistan State News Agency reported.
Executive Director of the US-Turkmenistan Business Council Eric Stewart confirmed the intention of the US business community to expand its presence in the Turkmen market, according to the report.
The Turkmen president spoke at this event in New York.
“The state provides investors with substantial support in the form of tax, customs, visa, insurance and other benefits provided,” he said. “As a result, the share of investments in the production of gross national product is increasing steadily, the number of investment projects and joint ventures and the volume of foreign trade is growing.”
Raising foreign investments to Turkmenistan is given priority, he noted.
Among the priority areas for the development of the partnership, he mentioned the oil and gas sector, the power industry, transport and communications, the agro-industrial complex, the textile industry, the high-tech industry, trade and investment activities in the sphere of industry, agriculture, the supply of aircraft and helicopters, equipment for the national agro-industry and water industry.
“Effective measures were taken to increase the stability of the financial system of Turkmenistan, primarily through unification of the exchange rate and the strengthening of the national currency,” the Turkmen president said.
In his opinion, the attractiveness of the Turkmen market is largely due to social and political stability, the presence of a powerful resource base and a modern legal system that guarantees the reliability of investments.
“At the same time, it is obvious that mutual potential can be used much wider,” Berdimuhamedov said. “First of all, this can be done considering the diversification of the economy of Turkmenistan, the widespread introduction of high-tech industries, the implementation of major national and international infrastructure projects in the energy and transport sectors.”
Great prospects in raising the US investments and technologies exist in the field of development of knowledge-intensive and innovative industries in Turkmenistan, in the field of electronics, computer and logistics services, education and staff development, the president stressed.
The strategic direction includes cooperation in the context of creating inter-regional transport and transit corridors along the East-West and South-North routes with access to Asian, European and Middle Eastern markets, he added.