Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Nov. 23 / Trend H. Hasanov /
A Turkmen delegation plans to pay a working visit to Paris on November 25-27, an official Turkmen source said on Friday.
The delegation is expected to participate in the second session of the intergovernmental Turkmen-French commission on economic cooperation. Ashgabat will be represented at the talks by Deputy Prime Minister Akmurad Egeleev.
The issue was discussed at a government meeting.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that strengthening and developing cooperation with France corresponds to the interests of the two countries and the priorities of Turkmen foreign policy.
This year, the two countries celebrate the 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.
French companies in Turkmenistan are well represented in such areas as construction, transport, tourism and energy.
The two countries are also interested in implementing a project to transport Turkmen gas to Europe. A variant of laying a gas pipeline through the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan and joining it to the transnational Nabucco project is being considered.
Total could be involved in the development of hydrocarbon resources in the Turkmen part of the Caspian Sea and exploring the opportunities of gas transportation to Europe in the near future. Gas de France expressed its interest in cooperating in this sphere.
The French firm Schneider Electric signed an agreement with the Turkmen government within the consortium with the Belgian Enex to ensure the energy supply of the Turkmen capital.
Last year, Thales Alenia Space started constructing Turkmen's first national satellite, scheduled for launch in 2014.
The Turkmen president received the heads of VINCI Construction Grands Projets and Bouygues companies. In particular, Bouygues has already implemented several projects in Turkmenistan. According to various estimates, their total value exceeded $2 billion. VINCI received a large contract in 2011 to build a government complex in Ashgabat.
