ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, March 30. A delegation led by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) has held a series of consultations in Turkmenistan focused on trade facilitation and logistics cooperation under ongoing regional programs, Trend reports via the press service of the Turkmen government.
The working visit was headed by Asel Uzagaliyeva, Deputy Head of the regional TFCA project implemented by GIZ, together with representatives of Expertise France, the French agency for development cooperation.
During the mission, the delegation met with representatives of Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations, Ministry of Finance and Economy, State Plant Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Turkmen Logistics and Transport Center (TULM), and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan.
Discussions centered around optimizing trade protocols, enhancing logistics synergy, and broadening collaboration among pertinent public and private sector entities.
The delegation also visited the Turkmenbashi International Seaport, where it held meetings with the State Service of Maritime and River Transport and port authorities to discuss cargo handling processes and potential areas for technical cooperation in maritime logistics.
The visit forms part of ongoing efforts to support trade facilitation and enhance institutional coordination in Central Asia through GIZ-led regional initiatives.
Meanwhile, a steering committee meeting on the Regional TFCA project was held in Turkmenistan on March 25, 2026, bringing together representatives of relevant ministries and project leadership to review progress achieved in 2024-2025 and outline priorities for the next implementation period through 2029. The project is implemented by GIZ under the initiative of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) within the framework of a 2024 memorandum with Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations.
The meeting placed particular emphasis on institutional measures aimed at trade facilitation, including the establishment of an Interagency Working Group supported by GIZ. The group is expected to contribute to streamlining trade procedures, improving transparency, and reducing administrative barriers, with the broader objective of supporting higher trade volumes and strengthening economic efficiency in Turkmenistan.
For reference, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), known in its native tongue as Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, is a German development agency that implements projects on behalf of the German government, focusing on sustainable economic development, energy, governance, and climate policy across more than 130 countries.
Cooperation between Turkmenistan and GIZ has developed over the past decade and covers areas such as trade facilitation and vocational education, legal and economic reforms, as well as more recent initiatives in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate policy. In recent years, cooperation has intensified through joint projects and agreements with key ministries, particularly in the energy and green transition sectors.
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