Commodity Markets: Turkmenistan’s SCRMET auction logged 8 deals totaling over $7.274m, with cottonseed oil, wheat flour, bed linen sets, cotton fabric, cotton fibre and raw silk sold in foreign currency to buyers including the UAE, Türkiye and Afghanistan; domestic businessmen also bought cotton yarn worth 8.212m manats for the local market. Regional Trade Diplomacy: Turkmenistan is pushing an ECO plan for joint trade zones to boost cross-border commerce, transit and investment, with late-August talks involving ECO’s secretary-general and Turkmen officials focused on turning the idea into a working model for border regions. Japan–Turkmenistan Business Agenda: President Serdar Berdimuhamedov met Japan’s FM Toshimitsu Motegi, with both sides flagging expanded cooperation beyond energy—trade, transport, gas chemicals, electric power—and new areas like AI and circular economy. CIS Economic Council Prep: Turkmenistan is preparing for the CIS Economic Council meeting in Ashgabat in September, with transport security (2026–2030) and standards/metrology/certification topics on the agenda. Turkmen Fashion to Paris: Four Turkmen designers will take part in Who’s Next in Paris (Sept 5–7) under an EU-funded initiative, aiming to plug local brands into international fashion markets. Tourism Policy: Turkmenistan’s tourism is being positioned as a state priority, with support for private operators and more than 70 companies offering services, routes and language-capable staff.