Русский
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov have discussed key issues on the bilateral agenda, following meetings in Ashgabat on Friday (May 22). Mishustin is attending a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Heads of Government.
In their bilateral discussions, Mishustin said that “priority attention has been given to trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Turkmenistan and to further enhancing mutual trade. We have good capabilities for expanding bilateral cooperation, including, above all, in industry, energy and transport infrastructure, with transport and logistics the most promising areas of Russian-Turkmen relations.”
Russia and Turkmenistan have extensive transit potential in the Caspian Sea region and Eurasia, with fast-developing issues in Iran creating the need to further develop transport connectivity between Turkmenistan and Iran’s northern and Caspian Sea regions, well away from any potential United States or NATO conflict zones. We discussed these recent developments here.
Mishustin also said that “Cooperation between the two countries’ regions is growing, including new initiatives being developed at the regional level involving small and medium-sized businesses,” indicative that bilateral SME investors are also becoming more prominent.
Mishustin’s visit follows on directly from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s phone conversation with Turkmen People’s Council Chairman and national leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow last week, where the Kremlin said that “they discussed current aspects of the continued strengthening of Russian-Turkmen strategic partnership and cooperation in the trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian, and other fields.”
The volume of trade between Turkmenistan and Russia increased by 35% in the first 10 months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The exact data has not yet been published, but it is likely that the volume of trade exceeded US$2.5 billion for the year.
Most of the bilateral trade is focused on agricultural products, with Turkmenistan exporting fruits, vegetables, cotton, and flax to Russia. The key product is tomatoes, which are highly valued in the Russian market and are considered some of the best in Central Asia. Melons, watermelons, grapes, pomegranates, and other seasonal fruits are also exported.
Russian exports are more diversified and related to the needs of Turkmenistan’s economic modernization. The key categories include medical equipment and supplies, fertilizers, construction machinery and equipment, special equipment, energy equipment, industrial machinery, tools, and chemical products.
