$266M for New U.S. Embassy With 'Energy Efficient Lighting,' 'Water-Conserving Plumbing'
(CNSNews.com) - "In an important symbol of enduring friendship with Turkmenistan," U.S. diplomats broke ground Monday on a new U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat.
The 17.3-acre campus will include an office building, a U.S. Marine Security Guard residence, a support annex, staff housing, and facilities for the Embassy community.
The $266-million embassy complex will incorporate numerous sustainable features, the State Department said, "including energy efficient lighting, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and drought-tolerant plantings."
Completion of the project is anticipated in July 2018.
"This is not just another building project in Ashgabat," Ambassador Allan Mustard said at the ground-breaking.
"Our decision to build a new, bigger Embassy here is symbolic.
Beyond the symbolism, the decision also is strategic:
Turkmenistan is bordered on the south by Iran and Afghanistan. The city of Ashgabat, where the new embassy is going up, sits on the border with Iran.
There's a Russian connection as well: The United States established diplomatic relations with Turkmenistan in 1992 following its independence from the Soviet Union.
According to a State Department fact sheet, "Turkmenistan occupies a critical geographic juncture, sharing long borders with Afghanistan and Iran, and acts as a transportation, humanitarian, and economic link to Afghanistan and the South Asian subcontinent, advancing regional stability."
The fact sheet describes Turkmenistan as a "closed society with an authoritarian political system and centralized economy." Although the government has taken some modest steps forward in human rights reform, ts overall human rights record remains poor, including designation in 2014 as a Country of Particular Concern.
Turkmenistan has "vast natural gas and oil resources," but the government has not yet created "an inviting business climate" for foreign investment.
Ambassador Mustard said the new embassy compound "is an indication of our enduring commitment to Turkmenistan. Furthermore, the fact that we are building an entire compound means that we are constructing not just an office building, but a community. This compound will welcome families and strengthen our partnership with the school, the broader community, and the people of Turkmenistan as a whole."
Mustard called it an investment in the future of Turkmenistan.
"I’ve repeated time and again that the United States is committed to supporting the sovereignty, stability, and independence of Turkmenistan, and this compound is a testament to that promise."
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