Turkmenistan, ADB Strengthen Partnership to Support Business, Healthcare, and Smart Technologies

Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov has met with Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda in Ashgabat, where the two sides outlined new strategic priorities to deepen cooperation in private sector development, healthcare, and smart technology initiatives.

President Berdimuhamedov emphasized Turkmenistan’s appreciation for its long-standing and productive partnership with the ADB, The Caspian Post reports via Turkmen media.

Over the past 25 years, the Bank has financed major projects across the energy, infrastructure, and railway sectors, many of them within the CAREC (Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation) framework, playing a key role in the country’s sustainable development.

The Turkmen leader called for expanding cooperation through more innovative and effective mechanisms - highlighting the importance of engaging with private enterprises and local banks, and providing financial and consulting support to promote small and medium-sized businesses.

A milestone of this collaboration is the smart city of Arkadag, which represents a new phase in ADB-Turkmenistan relations. A Memorandum of Understanding, signed in May between the ADB and the State Committee for the Construction of Arkadag City, opens broad opportunities for joint work in water and energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources in the high-tech urban project.

Energy cooperation also remains a key priority, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening ties in the fuel and energy sector.

In a major outcome of Kanda’s visit, the sides signed an agreement to finance the construction of a new medical college in Ashgabat, along with a technical cooperation document between Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Health and the ADB - marking another concrete step toward sustainable growth and innovation.