BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 5. Iran has called
for a new generation of industrial investments with Turkmenistan
based on special economic zones and sustainable supply chains.
The proposal was made by Iranian Deputy Minister of Economy and
Finance Mehdi Heydari during his speech at the Turkmenistan
Investment Forum TIF 2026 in Ashgabat, according to a press release
published by the Turkmen government press service yesterday.
Heydari identified industrial investment as the area that could
drive a new stage of economic cooperation between Iran,
Turkmenistan and Central Asia.
He said the potential of free and special economic zones should
be actively used to provide investors with a unified platform
offering access to domestic and transit routes.
The Iranian official also pointed to the long history of
successful large-scale joint projects between Tehran and
Ashgabat.
“Therefore, the main call is to transform the existing
experience into a ‘new generation of investments’ - projects that
will create sustainable supply chains, strengthen national
economies and serve the well-being of peoples,” Heydari said.
He added that the Iranian side was ready for an open and
constructive dialogue with Turkmen counterparts and all interested
international investors.
Turkmenistan has a legal framework specifically designed to use
free economic zones to attract investment and develop industrial
production. The country’s Law on Free Economic Zones provides for
industrial-production zones, industrial parks, technology and
innovation parks, transport and logistics zones and agro-industrial
zones. The framework also envisages preferential conditions for
investors and a “one-stop” system for services.
Cooperation with Iran has also moved toward the creation of
dedicated trade and economic platforms. At the 18th meeting of the
Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Economic
Cooperation in May 2025, Turkmenistan proposed establishing trade
and economic zones along parts of the Turkmen-Iranian border. In
2026, the two countries continued discussions on possible joint
trade zones at the Sarakhs-Sarakhs and Altyn Asyr-Incheborun border
checkpoints, with industrial and special economic zones among the
areas considered.
