What is Austria interesting for Turkmenistan?
The Turkmen-Austrian business Forum, held in Ashgabat on Tuesday, certainly attracted the mutual attention of both state and business communities of the two countries.
By the way, for those who are trying to wrap any event in a haze of politicization: both Turkmenistan and the Republic of Austria have been implementing a policy of positive neutrality for many years.
The participants of the business meeting of both countries stated in unison that they attach great importance to mutually beneficial bilateral partnership, the dominant of which is trade and economic relations.
At the same time, it was emphasized that the strategy of the Turkmen state creates favorable prerequisites for increasing cooperation in this range of areas. And it is quite broad – the industrialization of all segments of the economy, the strengthening of the processing sector, the construction of high-tech industries, etc.
To date, Austrian companies in Turkmenistan have implemented projects in construction and in the production of building materials, healthcare, trade, transport services, agriculture, supplies of high-tech equipment, etc.
However, the global pandemic that has paralyzed the world economy has significantly reduced the level of the Turkmen-Austrian partnership. Both the business forum, to which both the Turkmen and the Austrian sides responded vividly, as well as the upcoming meeting of the joint commission indicate a mutual desire to resume work on the rapprochement of, in fact, complementary economies.
And the next meeting of the Turkmen-Austrian commission, scheduled for Wednesday, after a long break, confirms the parties' focus on activating the post-pandemic reincarnation of economic ties.
Although the process brought to life by life itself is already underway. Thus, according to the Turkmen Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations, the trade turnover for 9 months of this year increased three (!) times compared to the same period last year.
And although the Turkmen Ministry of Finance is also pleased with statistics (according to which 5 economic entities have been registered, as well as 31 contracts and joint projects), nevertheless, it is obvious to everyone that these indicators are far from the potential of the economies of the two countries.
And the Turkmen-Austrian forum and the subsequent meeting of the joint Turkmen-Austrian commission, which is scheduled for Wednesday, are called to resolve these contradictions (but rather to give impetus to the resolution of these contradictions). And the potential, we repeat, is significant, which will not be exhausted in the foreseeable future.
This is why Austria is interesting for Turkmenistan. Exactly the same as the other way around…
Bekdurdy AMANSARYEV
