Akhal velayat of Turkmenistan is preparing to settle in its new administrative center, the first stage of construction of which is close to completion. Issues related to the construction of administrative and residential buildings, road and social infrastructure and the forthcoming second stage of this grandiose project, which provides for the improvement of the administrative center and the resettlement of residents, were discussed at an extended meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on Thursday.

As was said at the working meeting at the beginning of the year, at the first stage of the project implementation, it was planned to build 336 objects, including 11 public and 26 administrative buildings, 19 educational institutions, 258 two- and multi-storey residential buildings. It was also about 8 medical and sports facilities, 14 internal and external engineering systems and structures, which are being built by 62 local private enterprises that are members of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, as well as 5 state enterprises.

This is a whole city with a population of about 70 thousand people, which, as President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said, is of great political, economic and social importance for the country. It creates the image of Turkmenistan of a new era, giving an idea of its economic potential, socially oriented state policy, the desire to develop based on innovation and the best international experience. There are few states in the world that can carry out such projects.

Turkmenistan has sufficient financial and qualified human resources to carry out major urban development projects. In particular, for the construction of a new administrative center of the Akhal velayat, the Government of the country allocated about $1.5 billion, for which the necessary equipment and building materials were purchased. For the period of construction work, contractors and subcontractors were exempted from paying customs duties and exchange fees.

The construction of the administrative center of Ahal is carried out by private enterprises - members of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of the country. But specialists of various profiles took part in the development of the project and its implementation, since it takes into account the seismological, environmental and climatic conditions of the region. Teachers and students of the Institute of Architecture and Construction of Turkmenistan took part in the development of many design solutions for the project. Since the new velayat center is being created as a “smart” city with the most modern infrastructure facilities and a single database on a digital platform, a center for training specialists in the field of digitalization will be opened in it with the involvement of university teachers and students in this work.

The creation of a harmonious urban space based on digital technologies and intelligent systems is designed to provide all the conditions and opportunities for the most comfortable living of the population, fruitful work and study, good rest, sports and creativity. It will not only be a smart city, in which modern communication systems and the Internet serve to coordinate the management of city structures and services and create a high quality of life for people. Considering that the new city is being built in a beautiful place in the foothills of the Kopetdag, it is also planned to widely use "green" technologies to preserve the natural beauty of this picturesque area and ensure the ecological well-being and health of residents. During the construction of a new city, priority is given to its social security, so that the standard of living of the population of the center is high.

For the timely implementation and coordination of relevant work at a government meeting, it was decided to establish the State Committee for the construction of the administrative center of Akhal velayat. A khyakimlik of this new city is also being created, which will directly participate in its improvement and resettlement of residents. The choice of a worthy name for the new city, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, proposed to submit to a nationwide discussion.