Turkmenistan trade with CIS countries jumps 30% in Q1

ASHGABAT. May 25 (Interfax) - Turkmenistan boosted trade with Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries 30% year-on-year to $1.8 billion in January-March 2026, according to News Central Asia (nCa), citing Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Hojamyrat Geldimyradow.

"Turkmenistan increased trade with CIS countries 7.2% year-on-year to over $4 billion in 2025. The positive trend is rapidly gaining momentum this year. Trade volume rose 30% year-on-year to $1.8 billion in Q1 2026 alone," Geldimyradow said.

Geldimyradow said that Turkmenistan's trade and economic ties are developing most actively with Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and other CIS countries.

Geldimyradow highlighted the most promising areas of cooperation between Turkmenistan and CIS countries.

Geldimyradow said that key areas in the field of transport and logistics include the Turkmenbashi International Seaport, the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway route, and multimodal transportation. In April, the 600-kilometer Ashgabat-Turkmenabad highway opened, which should significantly reduce delivery times and expand transit cargo flows.

In the area of digital transformation, Turkmenistan actively supports the implementation of IT solutions in transport, logistics, and trade, the development of electronic document management, and the joint training of modern engineering, technical, and IT specialists, Geldimyradow added.

In the area of industrial cooperation, Geldimyradow noted the high potential for large-scale joint projects in the energy, chemical, mining and metallurgy, textile, and construction materials industries.