Special Correspondent
Awaza: The Turkmenistan Investment Forum (TIF 2025) opened on Saturday in the National Tourist Zone “Awaza,” drawing more than 800 delegates from 45 countries, including senior government officials, global corporate leaders, investment bankers, and international experts.
The forum was inaugurated with an address from President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, delivered on his behalf by the Minister of Finance and Economy. The opening plenary, “Investment Attractiveness of Turkmenistan as a Factor of Strategic Efficiency,” featured keynote remarks from leading international figures, including World Bank Executive Director Beatriz Luz Maser Mallor and UN Under-Secretary-General Rabab Fatima.
Ms. Fatima praised Turkmenistan’s leadership on issues concerning landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and outlined new UN-backed initiatives, including an Infrastructure Investment Financing Mechanism, a Global Business Network, and a Digital Investment Guide. She noted that LLDCs possess young populations and renewable resources that could make them hubs of sustainable growth.
She also presented a UN-prepared roadmap with 319 projects under the Awaza Programme of Action for the Decade 2024–2034, stressing that platforms like TIF 2025 were essential for forging partnerships to unlock LLDCs’ economic potential.
Highlighting sectoral opportunities, Professor S. Frederick Starr urged investors to diversify beyond hydrocarbons, emphasizing transport and agriculture. He pointed to the long-delayed TAPI pipeline project and underscored growth potential in Turkmenistan’s northern agricultural regions.
Over the two-day event, officials will present investment-ready projects spanning energy, logistics, finance, construction, agriculture, and innovation. Special focus areas include public–private partnerships, green and digital transformation, and climate-resilient farming.
The forum is backed by more than 50 global partners and organizations, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UN, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and corporations such as Daewoo E&C and John Deere.
