On 24 October 2025, the Italy–Turkmenistan Business Forum was opened by Italian Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Giorgio Silli and President Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan. More than one hundred representatives of Italian and Turkmen companies and institutions attended. The forum highlighted opportunities for Italian industrial groups in sectors including textiles, railways and cybersecurity, as well as energy.
Two thematic panels, devoted to energy and textiles respectively, examined prospects for industrial cooperation and development projects that could also benefit other sectors of interest to Turkmenistan, including agriculture, light industry and trade. The energy panel highlighted opportunities for cooperation in strategic areas such as electricity generation, the energy transition, infrastructure and sustainability. At the textiles panel, leading Italian companies described their existing activities in Turkmenistan and their plans for possible further investment in a sector of major importance to the Turkmen economy.
The forum concluded with a panel on instruments supporting the bilateral economic partnership. It emphasized the strategic role of Italy’s institutional and business network in helping companies expand internationally.
Also on 24 October 2025, President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella met President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov. In addition to discussing major current international issues, the two heads of state agreed that there were opportunities to explore cooperation both bilaterally and within the broader framework of Ashgabat’s and the region’s relations with the European Union.
Alongside economic and trade cooperation, the two Presidents stressed the importance of strengthening cultural cooperation, both for its own value and as a way to deepen mutual understanding and ties between their peoples. One example was the archaeological exhibition that President Berdimuhamedov opened the following day at the Capitoline Museums. It included finds from two Italian archaeological missions that have long been active in Turkmenistan.
On 14 and 15 January 2025, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Edmondo Cirielli visited Turkmenistan. He met First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Gurbanov; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rachid Meredov; and Deputy Prime Minister Tangryguly Atahalliyev, whose responsibilities included agriculture, the environment and water resources.
Deputy Minister Cirielli met members of the business community in Ashgabat, focusing on prospects in the oil and gas and high technology sectors. He also visited the archaeological site of Parthian Nisa, where a mission of the Centre for Archaeological Research and Studies of Turin, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and directed by Professor Carlo Lippolis, has worked for more than thirty years.
The Deputy Minister then met a large group of Turkmen teachers and students of Italian at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He addressed them in Italian, reflecting the growing knowledge of the language in Turkmenistan through local teaching and promotional activities. A similar meeting was held at the Ish Nokady Research and Advanced Training Centre in Ashgabat.
On 20 March 2024, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani met his Turkmen counterpart, Meredov, in Rome during the latter’s visit to Italy. Both expressed satisfaction with the positive development of bilateral relations, particularly in the economic, cultural, academic and linguistic fields. Meredov stated Turkmenistan’s wish to further strengthen the prominent place Italy already holds in its relations with the country.
Future cooperation could also develop in heavy industry, agriculture and food production, oil and gas, communications and aerospace, infrastructure and transport. On transport, Meredov signed two agreements at the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport concerning the rail and maritime sectors.
At the end of April 2023, Professor Romeo Orlandi, Special Ambassador for Rome’s bid to host Expo 2030, completed a visit to Turkmenistan. His programme included high level meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Mahrijemal Mamedova, Minister of Foreign Trade Begench Gochmollaiev and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Myahri Byashimova, as well as leaders of Turkmenistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The meetings focused on promoting Rome’s Expo 2030 bid. Italy also confirmed its willingness to host an exhibition of archaeological finds from Turkmenistan in Rome in 2025.
On 7 July 2021, an online presentation of Turkmenistan was held for Italian companies. The Turkmen delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vepa Hajiyev, and the Italian delegation by Undersecretary Di Stefano.
On 3 September 2020, at Turkmenistan’s request, President Mattarella held a telephone conversation with his counterpart, President Berdimuhamedov.
On 19 June 2020, Undersecretary Di Stefano opened an informal business forum by video conference. Participants reviewed progress on the agreements signed during the visit and presented examples of successful activities and good practices involving Italian small and medium sized enterprises in Turkmenistan.
On 20 May 2020, Undersecretary Di Stefano spoke by telephone with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Meredov. The call provided an opportunity to resume discussions on bilateral and regional cooperation that had been interrupted by the pandemic, in line with Italy’s interest in following up on President Berdimuhamedov’s visit to Rome in November 2019.
Turkmenistan participated at deputy foreign minister level in the conference “Italy and Central Asia: Strengthening Mutual Knowledge, Cooperation and Partnership”, organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in collaboration with ISPI and held at the Farnesina on 13 December 2019.
On 7 November 2019, President Berdimuhamedov paid an official visit to Rome, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Meredov. He met President Mattarella and Prime Minister Conte. In parallel with the visit, ICE organized a business forum in Milan on 6 November, attended by representatives of one hundred Italian companies and 138 members of the Turkmen delegation.
The visit provided an opportunity to discuss the main issues in the bilateral partnership, as well as regional and international matters, particularly connectivity in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Italy’s role in Central Asia. Four intergovernmental agreements were signed at the end of the visit, covering health, air services, the environment and education.
On 27 March 2019, Undersecretary Di Stefano visited Ashgabat for meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov; Deputy Prime Minister for Trade Chary Gylyjov; Deputy Prime Minister for Oil and Gas Myratgeldi Meredov; and the President of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, Dadayev.
Regarding defence cooperation, on 25 November 2015 the then Italian Minister of Defence, Pinotti, met General Myrat Islamov, Head of Turkmenistan’s State Border Service and Commander of its Border Troops, in Rome. On 29 March 2017, Turkmen Minister of Defence Berdiyev met Minister Pinotti in Rome, where they signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement. The first bilateral staff talks took place on 21 June 2017, followed by further talks in Rome in May 2019.
In May 2015, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited Italy for the opening of Turkmenistan’s national pavilion at Expo Milano. In Rome, he met Prime Minister Renzi and President Mattarella.
On 18 November 2014, the then Prime Minister Matteo Renzi travelled to Ashgabat for a short working visit, accompanied by ENI Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi. During the visit, ENI and Turkmenistan’s state hydrocarbons company signed agreements in the energy sector. In talks with President Berdimuhamedov, the two sides agreed on the value of developing a strategic partnership in other economic and commercial sectors, as well as in education, culture and tourism.
Prime Minister Renzi’s visit was followed by bilateral political consultations between the then Deputy Minister Pistelli and Deputy Minister Myatiyev at the Farnesina on 20 April 2015. Held in a very cordial atmosphere, the consultations confirmed the renewed momentum in bilateral political dialogue.
Subsequently, Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies Maurizio Martina visited Ashgabat on 23 April 2015, leading a delegation of representatives from agrifood companies and major trade associations. During the visit, Minister Martina met President Berdimuhamedov, Foreign Minister Meredov, Agriculture Minister Charlyiev, Deputy Prime Minister for Trade Taganov and Deputy Prime Minister for Agriculture Yazmuradov.