BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 24. Turkmenistan recorded the fastest growth in exchange trade turnover with Belarus among CIS countries in the first half of 2026.
This was announced in a press release issued by the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE) following a meeting with diplomatic representatives of CIS member states in Minsk.
The figures were presented by Assistant to the Chairman of the BUCE Board Alexander Bashliy during an event organized with the support of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to showcase the exchange's opportunities for cross-border trade.
"According to the results for the first half of 2026, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan joined Belarus in the top three countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States in terms of growth rates in stock exchange commodity turnover. Specifically, for Kazakhstan this figure stood at 139% compared with the same period in 2025, for Tajikistan at 308%, and for Turkmenistan at 360%," the press release says.
According to BUCE, companies from CIS countries continue to play a key role in the exchange's foreign trade operations, with nearly 70% of all Belarusian exports sold through the platform destined for CIS markets. The exchange said more than 6,000 companies from CIS member states are currently accredited to trade on its platform. "The countries most widely represented on the exchanges include Russia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, and we have exchange brokers in each of them," Bashliy said.
Meanwhile, Belarus has been steadily expanding its economic engagement with Central Asia through a combination of intergovernmental commissions, business forums and sector-specific cooperation mechanisms. In recent years, Minsk has intensified work with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on industrial cooperation, agriculture, transport and machinery supplies, while business associations and chambers of commerce have stepped up efforts to help companies enter Central Asian markets.
The region has also become a growing focus of Belarus' export promotion strategy. Earlier in July, the Brest branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry held consultations dedicated to opportunities in the Turkmen market, where Belarusian companies explored exports ranging from agricultural machinery and industrial equipment to food products and construction materials.
In parallel, Belarus continues to use bilateral intergovernmental commissions and business missions as key instruments for deepening commercial ties, alongside the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange, which has become an increasingly important platform for connecting Belarusian suppliers with Central Asian buyers.
