The Enterprise Development Project (EDP) in Turkmenistan assisted three local SMEs in June 2004. This resulted in three trade deals totalling $355,000

Degirmen, a small wholesale and retail trade company in the Ashgabat area, registered for EDP assistance when it was unable to locate strategic, long-term suppliers. Once Degirmen's Chief Accountant and Deputy Director, Dovran Yazmuradov, registered with EDP for trade assistance, EDP Trade Specialist Vladislav Erniyazov located a German beverage supplier. This resulted in a supply contract between Degirmen and the German-based Tucher Brau for $200,000 of goods. Mr. Yazmuradov attributes his company's recent success to EDP, "Thanks to EDP, we signed our first big contract with a foreign company. This was our largest step and success to date as a trading enterprise. We hope that cooperation with project EDP will continue in the future."

Vera Dodonova is a local Ashgabat entrepreneur. The owner of a cosmetics store in central Ashgabat, she caters to middle and upper class urban consumers. Prior to contacting EDP, Ms. Dodonova's business suffered from the same predicament as Degirmen. Ms. Dodonova had been unable to locate long-term foreign suppliers of her products. After registering with EDP, Ms. Dodonova's was put in contact with a Bulgarian cosmetics distributor, Alen Mak. EDP also helped Ms. Dodonova obtain sample product from Alen Mak; a complete inventory of trial cosmetics. After this initial success, Ms. Dodonova requested further assistance from EDP to sign a long-term supply contract with Alen Mak for an estimated $100,000 of product over the next year. The contract was signed in June 2004.

Muhammed Sazakov, another entrepreneur, runs a wholesale trading company that sells a vast range of products across Turkmenistan ranging from foods, electronics, to textiles. In mid 2004, Muhammed approached EDP Trade Specialist Vladislav Erniyazov for assistance in locating gas cables and hoses. EDP's Erniyazov located a Russian supplier for these goods and facilitated three deals totalling $55,000. According to Mr. Sazakov, "Thanks to EDP's assistance, Vladislav provided us not only with particular suppliers' information; he assisted us in realizing and signing contracts for products that were eventually shipped to Turkmenistan. EDP remains critical for my and other Turkmen businesses as they attempt to gain credibility and capacity in the marketplace."