BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) has pledged to support further expansion of business ties between South Korean and Turkmen companies.
This was stated by KITA Chairman Jin Sik Yoon at the Turkmen-Korean high-level business forum in Seoul, according to the Turkmen government press service.
Yoon noted that the two countries have developed cooperation in energy, industry, construction, transport and infrastructure, while interaction has expanded into shipbuilding, healthcare, digital technologies and environmental protection.
The KITA chairman highlighted the role of the Korea-Turkmenistan Business Council, established by KITA and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan in 2019.
He said the council has since played an important role in developing partnerships between the business communities of the two countries.
Yoon also expressed confidence that combining the technological capabilities and experience of South Korean companies with Turkmenistan's natural resources and development potential would create opportunities for further business cooperation.
He pledged that KITA would make every effort to further strengthen ties between companies of the two countries.
Meanwhile, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is paying a state visit to South Korea and taking part in the first Central Asia-Republic of Korea Summit in Seoul on September 16-17. The summit brings together the leaders of South Korea and the five Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - marking the first elevation of the Korea-Central Asia dialogue to the leaders’ level. Seoul has said the summit is intended to deepen regional cooperation and produce practical results for the participating countries.
For Turkmenistan, the summit is taking place alongside a state visit and bilateral negotiations with the South Korean leadership. During South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to Turkmenistan in June 2024, the two countries signed a memorandum aimed at strengthening cooperation in areas including the economy and investment, culture, education, communications and human exchanges. Turkmenistan also expressed support for Seoul's K-Silk Road initiative, which South Korea presented as its comprehensive strategy for expanding cooperation with the five Central Asian countries.
The current summit is therefore taking place against the backdrop of an effort by Seoul to elevate its cooperation with Central Asia to the leaders' level.
