ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Feb. 20
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
Governor of Russia’s Saint Petersburg Alexander Beglov has met with Turkmen Minister of Industry and Construction Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Trend reports Feb. 20 with reference to the press service of the Saint Petersburg administration.
Berdimuhamedov signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of information technology and innovation with the Saint Petersburg-based Petrosoft company in Smolny city, the report said.
Petrosoft is developing application solutions based on geographic information systems. Beglov previously told the Russian media that it is planned to launch the Smart City project in Ashgabat and it is similar to the program already in force in Saint Petersburg.
Turkmenistan and Russia’s Saint Petersburg have recently signed a roadmap in Ashgabat for cooperation in the trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural fields for 2020-2025.
Mutual interest includes such areas as shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, road repair and construction, IT and high technology.
In July 2019 it was reported that the administration of the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat was preparing to implement a large project – the creation of a residential area with high-rise buildings intended for more than 100,000 people, with infrastructure functioning based on the "smart city" model.
The total area allotted for the construction of the complex covering more than 200 buildings is 744 hectares.
In the coming years, a new city will appear in the north of Ashgabat, including an administrative core, service industries, medical institutions, cultural centers, universities and other social facilities.
In 2018, the population of Ashgabat exceeded one million people, due to the territorial expansion of the borders of Ashgabat. According to the 1995 census, the population of the city was 604,700 people.