Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, speaking on May 16 at the XVI International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2025", called on Islamic countries to form a single energy, transport and technological belt of Eurasia. Hero-Arkadag's speech at the forum was published on Saturday in the central media of our country.

Noting that "the current main trends of world development, the creation of new geo-economic realities, configurations and models pose a number of major challenges for the Islamic world", Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed his conviction that "today the Islamic world has every opportunity to act as one of the locomotives of global economic development".

"In this context, I believe that Islamic countries are called upon to form a single energy, transport and technological belt of Eurasia, linking the continent from the Asia-Pacific region to the Middle East and Europe," said Hero-Arkadag.

In his opinion, "this partnership configuration, if implemented, will be able to provide the shortest routes for the delivery of energy resources, goods and services, thus linking vast areas, powerful industrial and raw material centers. In a strategic sense, such a belt will become a bridge of global interaction and will be able to positively influence trade and tariff policy and, in general, the atmosphere and health of the entire global economy”.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that "Turkmenistan's approach to international economic cooperation is based on the priority of energy, transport, logistics and technology spheres. At the same time, Turkmenistan's position is always based on equality and recognition of the interests of all participants in global and regional processes. Our country firmly opposes the politicization of cooperation, the one-sidedness of energy and transport flows, insists on the need for their diversification and accessibility for broad international participation”.

The head of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan noted that Turkmenistan implements these principles in practice, primarily in the implementation of large-scale and long-term energy, transport and infrastructure projects in Asia. In particular, the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, a power supply line and fiber-optic communication line along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan route, railways connecting Central and South Asia with the Near and Far East is underway.

"I am convinced that the implementation of these projects will significantly increase the level of energy security, ensure access for many countries to sources of energy raw materials, access to key transport routes, growth and diversity of trade and commercial ties, the creation of new jobs, and the solution of many social problems," Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized.

Hero-Arkadag also noted that "today Turkmenistan is actively working on the implementation of multimodal transit routes in Eurasia, passing through the territories of the Caspian and Black Sea basins and uniting the European and Asian-Pacific regions into a single transport system." This requires a systematic approach to solving a range of issues of organizational, legal, economic, financial and technological nature, political and diplomatic support, approval and decision-making at the UN level.

"In this regard, we propose that Islamic financial and economic institutions, investment funds provide more effective support to international economic projects in which our countries participate, as well as join the process of developing strategic decisions made at the UN level and other authoritative international structures," Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized.

Hero-Arkadag named technology as another key area of ​​cooperation. "Our countries have accumulated a solid baggage in high technologies, innovative developments, in the field of artificial intelligence. This potential can and should be used in the general aspiration of the states of the Islamic world to reach the advanced stages of development for full-fledged equal integration into world economic relations,” said Hero-Arkadag.

“We believe it is advisable to establish systemic and regular channels of technological cooperation between our states, exchange of experience, training of specialized specialists, launching joint multilateral innovative programs and projects of applied and fundamental research,” the head of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan emphasized.