OREANDA-NEWS. On May 03, 2007 President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov received Martin Bouygues who heads the world-renowned French company Bouygues, one of the leading partners of Turkmenistan in the sphere of town planning. The meeting was held with participation of the Senior Vice President of Bouygues Aldo Carbonaro, the Director General of the Company Olivier-Marie Racine and the Regional Project Director Charles Chanter, reported the Presidential website http://www.turkmenistan.gov.tm.


Cordially thanking the Turkmen leader for the opportunity of a personal meeting, Martin Bouygues stressed that the company headed by him was sincerely proud of its long-term co-operation with Turkmenistan resulted in a number of successfully realised large-scale joint projects. Greeting the French guests, the head of state noted that Turkmenistan considered Bouygues its reliable partner that can be proved by the long-term character of the fruitful collaboration. During the years of independence the company has constructed dozens of magnificent palaces and buildings forming the unique architectural look of the capital.

Expressing the mutual interest in continuation of the successful partnership, Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov and Martin Bouygues discussed the prospects and directions of its further development. The Bouygues Chairman reported on the company’s readiness to start constructing new large objects including the Halk Maslahaty Palace, a new office of the Turkmenhaly State Joint-Stock Corporation, the Turkmen Carpet Museum, an original building for the subdivision of the agricultural complex of Turkmenistan and the second turn of the Military Academy. M. Bouygues showed the head of state projects of a building of the Faculty of Geography and the fourth turn of the Turkmen State University and also variants of the project for construction of a new television tower.


Familiarising himself in detail with the models and projects, Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov made some critical remarks and also expressed his wish to accelerate realisation of the projects approved. The head of Bouygues assured the President that all wishes of the Turkmen party would be taken into consideration. Developing the theme of the bilateral partnership, Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov suggested that Bouygues should work out a conception of the further building-up of Ashgabat taking into consideration the architectural ensemble of the Turkmen capital and new tasks for creation of the infrastructure of the modern megapolis and being based on international expertise. The President said that was great and significant work needing joint efforts, knowledge and talents of many specialists, architects, designers, engineers and scientists and noted that the French company had all necessary potential for that.


The suggestion of the head of Turkmenistan was met with great enthusiasm by the top executives of Bouygues who expressed their readiness to realise this grandiose plan. As Martin Bouygues said, with that end in view the company would open its town-planning bureau with involvement of the best specialists in its activities. The head of state also suggested that the French partners should work out their paln of the project of Ashgabat-city to be built on both sides of Archabil Avenue. As Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov stressed it should be an original and innovative project of the cultural and business centre of the capital under formation. The top executives of Bouygues also responded with readiness to a suggestion of the President of Turkmenistan to participate in building up of the resort pearl of the country, Archabil.


During the meeting the head of Turkmenistan asked the guests to prepare and present their proposals for development of the complex of the President’s Palace and also projects for construction of new buildings of the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Construction and the Construction Materials Industry. Stressing the considerable contribution of Bouygues to creation of the new look of the capital, Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov suggested organising and holding a presentation of all projects of Bouygues giving a vivid idea of the scale of the company’s activities in Turkmenistan. Thanking the head of state for his high trust, Martin Bouygues in his turn suggested expanding the mutually advantageous co-operation in some other directions including the oil and gas sector, energy production, railway construction and development of the technical fleet of that branch where the company had advanced technologies and rich expertise.


Greeting these proposals of the French company, Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov stressed that Turkmenistan was open for co-operation in realisation of large-scale programmes in the important branches of economy. In this connection the head of state invited the French company to participate in projects for further development of the Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries where construction of new plants is continued, in complex reconstruction of the Seydi oil refinery and in modernisation of the energy infrastructure of the country. In conclusion of the meeting Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov thanked once again Martin Bouygues and in his person the Bouygues Company for the long-term efficient co-operation with Turkmenistan wishing the French guests every success in their multi-range activities. Expressing the Turkmen leader their sincere gratitude for the time allotted to them and opportunity to discuss the prospects of the further collaboration in the personal meeting, the Bouygues President assured the President of Turkmenistan that the company headed by him would fulfil all obligations undertaken.