On 9 August 2024, a business forum of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue was held in Astana.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, the Japanese Association for Trade with Russia and NIS (ROTOBO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakh Invest, the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Atameken” with the support of relevant ministries and departments of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
More than 450 representatives of delegations from the countries of the Central Asian region and Japan gathered at the forum. The Japanese side was represented by business giants like Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries EMEA, Ltd., Mitsui & Co., Ltd., scientific staff of industry universities and expert community.
The agenda of the forum covered the prospects for strengthening economic ties and expanding cooperation, including in the field of digitalization, the transport and logistics industry, the agro-industrial complex, the heavy industry sector, and industrial cooperation.
During the opening of the forum, the importance of a joint event was emphasized, the main purpose of which is to strengthen trade and economic relations between the six countries, build mutually beneficial ties between government agencies and business circles based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit and on a long–term basis.
The plenary sessions titled “Cooperation between Japan and Central Asia in the field of carbon neutrality and industrial modernization”, “New prospects for the development of connectivity between Japan and Central Asia in a changing international environment” and “The importance of investing in human capital and strengthening business infrastructure for business development, as well as expanding financial cooperation between Japan and Central Asia” discussed the prospects for cooperation and concretized plans for joint cooperation.
Representatives of Turkmenistan briefed on the key aspects of Turkmenistan’s domestic and foreign policy, as well as with the priorities of ongoing large-scale socio-economic transformations. The highlighted an intensive process of forming a new industrial model of the national economy aimed at the effective use of the richest natural resources and the advantageous geographical location of the Turkmenistan, the widespread introduction of innovative technologies, advanced achievements of science and technology, modern methods of production organization.
At the same time, it was noted that the Government pays great attention to supporting private entrepreneurship, developing small and medium-sized businesses, as well as implementing programs to create enterprises that produce import-substituting and competitive products on world markets. Special emphasis is placed on the main directions of Turkmenistan’s investment policy and legal incentives such as tax, customs, visa and other benefits for investors working in the country, foreign firms and companies.
In turn, representatives of the business circles of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Japan made presentations on the trade, economic and resource potential of their countries, noting the great prospects for building productive multilateral relations in a wide range of areas.
Central Asian nations are forging a unique IT ecosystem to modernize public administration and propel e-commerce growth. Collaborative efforts in AI implementation, data center development, and cybersecurity hold immense potential for mutual benefit.
Following the Business Forum of the Central Asia–Japan Dialogue, a Joint Statement was adopted.
Turkmenistan and Japan signed a package of documents
Turkmen delegation signed a number of documents with Japanese companies, including:
• Roadmap (Action Plan) for the GTG-2 (gas to gasoline) project between the State Concern “Turkmenhimiýa” (Turkmenistan) and the companies “Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.” (Japan), “Itochu Corporation” (Japan), “Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri Inşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.” (Turkey)
• A framework agreement between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan) on a project for the supply of spare parts for testing the turbine of the Lebap State Power Plant
• Memorandum on Academic exchanges and cooperation between the Oguz Khan University of Engineering and Technology of Turkmenistan and the University of Tsukuba
• Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan and the Japan Foreign Trade Organization (JETRO)
• Information bulletin on the further development of relations between Turkmenistan and Japan on the creation of mutually beneficial cooperation
• Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening cooperation between the State Bank for Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan and the Japanese Export and Investment Insurance Agency (NEXI)
• Memorandum of Understanding between the State Concern “Turkmenhimiýa” and the group of companies “Mitsubishi Heavy Industries”, “Mitsubishi Corporation” (Japan) on cooperation in the field of development of the chemical industry of Turkmenistan
• Memorandum of Understanding between the State Concern “Turkmenhimiýa” and the company “Toyo Engineering Corporation” (Japan) on the interest in cooperation in the field of development of the chemical industry of Turkmenistan
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan and Masui Holdings Co., Ltd. on cooperation in the field of textile industry.
