Oriented on making people closer

The head of the Iran-Turkmenistan Joint Chamber of Commerce said that the two countries intend to increase bilateral trade by 30%. This statement was made after the first exhibition of Turkmenistan's export opportunities in Iran.

Ramazan Bahrami, who also heads the House of Industry, Mining and Trade of Golestan Province, described the three-day event, which was held in Gorgan from May 4 to 6, as a strategic milestone in trade relations between Iran and Turkmenistan and a tangible step towards strengthening regional economic diplomacy, Tehran Times reports.

The event, held at the Gorgan International Exhibition Center, brought together 53 private companies and 12 government agencies from Turkmenistan and attracted considerable interest from Iranian industrialists and businessmen.

“This was the first time since Turkmenistan gained independence that such an exhibition was held in Iran, and Golestan Province was honored to host it,” Bahrami said. “The exhibition was the result of consensus between the private sector and government agencies, and the result exceeded expectations.”

He said the exhibition aimed to expand trade exchanges and showcase Turkmenistan’s industrial and export capabilities in the Iranian market. Bahrami stressed that the participation of the private sector of both countries in expert groups and face-to-face talks created favorable conditions for launching new partnerships. Preliminary agreements were reached in areas such as petrochemicals, petroleum products, construction materials, food processing, textiles and logistics.

According to Bahrami, trade between the two countries reached nearly $600 million last year. Thanks to the momentum created by the exhibition and new commercial interactions, Iran and Turkmenistan are now aiming to increase this figure by at least 30%. “Some of this growth will materialize in the coming months, while the rest will be reflected in next year’s export statistics,” he said.

Explaining the choice of Golestan as the host province, Bahrami pointed to strategic ethnic, cultural and geographic ties. “There are more than a million ethnic Turkmens living in Golestan and North Khorasan, which creates a natural platform for expanding economic, cultural and social relations with Turkmenistan.”

Bahrami added that the exhibition attracted delegations from other Central Asian countries, transforming it from a purely bilateral event into a broader regional platform.

Looking ahead, he said plans are underway to host a reciprocal Iranian trade expo in Turkmenistan’s Balkan province.

He also highlighted Golestan’s role as a gateway to Iran’s northeastern trade corridor, thanks to its shared rail links with Turkmenistan, the Incheh-Borun Free Zone, port infrastructure, and cultural ties with Central Asia.

Earlier, speaking at a joint business forum held during Iran Expo 2025, Seyyed Hossein Mirshafi, adviser to Iran’s Minister of Transport and Urban Development, said Iran is ready to expand direct flights between cities such as Ashgabat, Gorgan, Bandar Abbas, and Chabahar, and highlighted investment opportunities in regional transportation, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq, as a strategic advantage.

In early March, the Iran-Turkmenistan Joint Chamber of Commerce announced the establishment of a special economic consortium aimed at expanding exports and trade exchanges between the two countries with the support of their joint chambers of commerce.

A meeting of the joint economic committee of the two countries is scheduled for May in Tehran to discuss a roadmap for transport cooperation, a roadmap for developing technical and engineering cooperation, and a roadmap for energy cooperation between the two countries.

ORIENT

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Photo: tehrantimes