Kazakh and Turkmen Businesses Identify New Areas of Cooperation in Almaty

The third meeting of the Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan Business Council, themed “New Vectors of Cooperation,” took place in Almaty on November 10, 2026. The Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan (KazCIC) organized the participation of business representatives in the event. More than 50 companies from the two countries attended in person, while another six Turkmen enterprises joined online.

The meeting was held at the Atameken Regional Chamber of Entrepreneurs in Almaty and chaired by Aidar Kazybayev, Co-Chair of the Kazakh side of the Business Council. The Turkmen delegation was led by Begench Arazov, Co-Chair of the Turkmen side of the Council and a member of the Board of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan.

In his remarks, Aidar Kazybayev thanked Turkmen enterprises for visiting Kazakhstan and participating in the Food Expo-2026 exhibition in Almaty. According to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics, bilateral trade reached USD 361.4 million in January–August 2026, up 9.3% from the same period in 2025. Kazakhstan exported USD 233 million worth of goods to Turkmenistan and imported USD 128.4 million. The governments of the two countries have set a target of increasing bilateral trade to USD 1 billion.

Begench Arazov thanked the Almaty branch of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs and the Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan for their warm welcome. He highlighted the strong interest of Turkmen businesses in cooperation with Kazakh enterprises and identified construction, logistics and agriculture as the most promising sectors.

The agro-industrial sector featured prominently in the discussions. Mive, Turkmenistan’s largest agricultural holding company, is interested in increasing fruit exports and establishing an official distributor in Kazakhstan. A similar proposal was made by Yigit, a leading producer and exporter of greenhouse tomatoes under the Mahmal brand. Kazakh entrepreneurs expressed interest in these companies during the meeting. In view of potential joint projects and the active participation of agricultural businesses from both countries, the parties decided to explore establishing an Agribusiness Hub under the auspices of the Business Council.

Participants discussed transportation and logistics. Halkara Turkmen Logistik and the Union of Road Carriers and Freight Forwarders of Kazakhstan will work on a mechanism to develop multimodal transportation and transit.

Gulmira Dzhumagaliyeva, head of the Silk Way Asia project, presented an electronic trading platform. The marketplace is intended to simplify foreign trade operations and help increase trade turnover.

Several Turkmen companies expressed interest in purchasing construction materials, reinforcing steel and equipment from Kazakhstan, as well as cooperating in the construction sector. The parties will hold a separate video meeting on this matter and arrange a visit by representatives of Kazakhstan’s construction industry to Arkadag, Turkmenistan.

As part of the business program, a representative of the Export Credit Agency of Kazakhstan outlined mechanisms for supporting exporters and stimulating bilateral trade. Prospects for cooperation in tourism and the textile industry were also discussed. Turkmen participants joining online included confectionery producers Ak gar and Bal şeker, detergent producer Täç hil, polypropylene and polyethylene producer Altyn tug, Bugdaý (construction and greenhouse works), and the food industry enterprise Nurly Meydan.

For the Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan, developing cooperation with Turkmenistan is one of the priorities in expanding international business ties for domestic entrepreneurs. KazCIC helps companies establish direct contacts, find partners and advance the interests of Kazakh businesses in foreign markets.

The meeting concluded with bilateral discussions between entrepreneurs from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, during which companies directly explored product supplies and joint projects. Begench Arazov proposed holding the fourth Business Council meeting in Ashgabat in March 2027 as part of the official events of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan.