MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Representatives of the governments of Georgia and Turkmenistan discussed the issues related to the trade and economic cooperation and the prospect of their further development at the meeting held in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, within the official visit of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to Turkmenistan.

The meeting of the governmental delegations of the two countries led by the First Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Levan Davitashvili, and the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rashid Meredov, was held in an expanded format and was attended by Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili, Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Irakli Karseladze, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Davit Songhulashvili, and other high-ranking government officials. 

In his speech, Georgia's First Vice Prime Minister, Levan Davitashvili, spoke about the importance of deepening partnership relations between the countries in various directions, with a particular emphasis on those economic sectors where there is particularly great potential for cooperation, including energy, transport and logistics, and tourism.

“Georgia considers Turkmenistan a reliable and important partner, and we attach great importance to strengthening the growth of cooperation with Turkmenistan. Today, Georgia and Turkmenistan are stable trading partners, however, the trade turnover between our countries is not at the volume we would like. In this regard, there is much greater potential for our cooperation. I am sure that today’s meeting will be another proof of our partnership and a step forward,” – Levan Davitashvili said.

Levan Davitashvili introduced the members of the Turkmen government to Georgia’s economic achievements and investment environment in recent years. The Vice Prime Minister also spoke about Georgia’s important transit role and the transport and infrastructure projects that make Georgia an important economic partner on a regional scale. As Davitashvili noted, it is important that cooperation between Georgia and Turkmenistan in this area is further strengthened.

“Georgia has a free trade agreement with 46 countries and Hong Kong, which means access to a 2,3 billion consumer market worldwide. In addition, in recent years we have had a high rate of economic growth – last year economic growth was 9,5%, while in January 2025 it was 11,1%. According to the International Monetary Fund’s forecast, Georgia will have the highest rate of economic growth among the countries of the region and Europe in 2025-2029, and it will average to 5,2%,” – the First Vice Prime Minister said.

It is worth noting that in 2024, the trade turnover between Georgia and Turkmenistan amounted to 81,03 million USD. In 2024, over 2 million tons of cargo were transported from Turkmenistan to Georgia, of which more than 90% was for transit purposes. Railway transportation amounted to 1 503,2 thousand tons. In addition, the number of tourists arriving in Georgia from Turkmenistan has been increased reaching over than 18 000 tourist visits in 2024.

Within the framework of the meeting, several agreements were signed between the governments of Georgia and Turkmenistan: a cooperation program between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries for 2025-2026, an agreement between the governments on cooperation and administrative mutual assistance in the customs sphere, an agreement between the governments of Georgia and Turkmenistan on cooperation in the field of plant protection, and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of sports between the Ministry of Sports of Georgia and the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports of Turkmenistan.

The 5th meeting of the Georgia-Turkmenistan Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation is planned to be held in the near future.