A festive reception was held in Ashgabat on the occasion of Bastille Day
On July 14, a festive reception was held at the Yyldyz Hotel in the capital on the occasion of the National Day of the French Republic — Bastille Day. It was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, business circles, and the Turkmen cultural sector. On behalf of the Government of the country, Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan Nazar Agahanov attended as a guest of honor.
Welcoming the guests, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Turkmenistan, Philippe Merlin, emphasized the dynamic interaction between leading French companies and Turkmen partners within the framework of projects presented during the official visit of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Paris in 2025, and negotiations with President Emmanuel Macron.
Joint initiatives cover areas of strategic importance for Turkmenistan, such as telecommunications, national security, urban development, energy, water conservation, as well as the use of space data for monitoring agricultural crops and land management. As an example of expanding cooperation, it was noted that the opening of a service point for the French transport company "CMA-CGM" at the Ashgabat International Airport is expected to support regular cargo flights along the Europe-Asia route.
The humanitarian sphere holds an important place in bilateral relations, in particular, close ties with the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan. With the support of the French Institute, about 20,000 Turkmen schoolchildren and students are successfully learning French, and relations between the universities of the two countries are being consistently strengthened. In the near future, cooperation agreements are expected to be signed between the University of Le Havre Normandy and a number of leading universities in Turkmenistan.
In addition, scientific contacts are successfully developing, including archaeological research by the joint "MAFTUR" expedition at the Ulug-depe site and speleological projects of the "KRAC" association in Koytendag.
In his response, Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan Nazar Agahanov, on behalf of the Government, conveyed sincere congratulations to the French partners and highly appreciated the long-term contribution of French business circles to diversifying and modernizing key sectors of the national economy.
The significant role of the construction concern "Bouygues" in forming the modern architectural look of the white-marble Ashgabat, as well as the project for the creation of Turkmenistan's first space satellite, were noted as exemplary examples of high-tech interstate partnership.
The Minister identified promising areas for developing relations, including modernizing the air traffic control system, improving land cadastre, introducing advanced water-saving technologies, and ecological cleaning of the oil and gas industry.
The Turkmen side paid special attention to the joint development of the Trans-Caspian transport corridor within the framework of the European Union's "Global Gateway" strategy, which allows for the effective use of our country's favorable geographical location as an important transport and logistics hub between Asia and Europe.
The official part of the event turned into a friendly reception, during which guests had the opportunity to get acquainted with French culinary traditions, watch a musical program, and communicate with French speakers in an informal setting.
