President Berdymuhamedov participated Tuesday in a session of the Turkmen-French business forum.

Dozens of French majors including Bouygues, Total, CIFAL, Technip, Vinci, GDF, and Dresser Rand attended. Taken together, the entire who is who of the energy, industrial and civil construction, irrigation, healthcare, banking and finance, rail and road transportation, industrial manufacturing, and aviation industry was present at the Ritz.

GB said that the viability of the Turkmen model had been proven by the fact that the country had emerged unscathed through the global financial and economic crisis. He said that prospects for foreign partners to interact in the oil and gas sphere of Turkmenistan were unusually wide.

GB cited the recent award of US $ 10 billion contracts for development of Osman-Yoloton field, and opening of Trans-Asia and Turkmenistan-Iran gas pipelines as examples of Turkmenistan’s successful collaboration with foreign partners.

He mentioned that in recent years Turkmenistan had started reducing its dependence on the oil and gas sector, pointing out that textile, metallurgy, chemicals, construction, and tourism were the current areas of strong focus.

He pointed out that Turkmenistan offers simplified tax, customs, visa and insurance regimes to foreign investors.

GB informed that at present 17 enterprises were working in Turkmenistan with participation of French capital. Sixty-eight investment projects had been carried out by the French companies in Turkmenistan.

He invited French businessmen to consider participation in exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon resources, including in the Caspian sector of Turkmenistan, implementation of major infrastructure projects, upstream oil and gas projects, supply of oilfield equipment, modernization of processing facilities and introduction of latest technologies, modernization and expansion of airports, rebuild of Turkmenbashy seaport, expansion of chemical sector, textile industry, and Avaza national tourist zone.