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.
