AKIPRESS.COM - An official delegation from Turkmenistan was to visit France on Friday to discuss economic ties, notably construction of a pipeline to transport gas from the Central Asian country to Europe.
The country has limited contact with the rest of the world and has been criticized for its human rights record, but France, like China and some Western countries, is interested in its reserves of natural gas, the fifth-largest in the world.
The visit is to boost economic and trade ties, RFI reports, and both countries are interested in construction of the pipeline under the Caspian Sea.
Several French companies, including construction firms Bouygues and Vinci, and hotelier Accor have already won contracts in Turkmenistan.