Polimeks to build ’palace of happiness’

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

The ex-Soviet republic announced yesterday that it would build the palace as part of over $1 billion (753 million euros) worth of construction projects to beautify the capital and make it more livable. Agence France-Presse reported that Turkmenistan "has found an original way of coping with the global financial crisis... If your people are sad, build them a Palace of Happiness."

According to state newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan, the palace will cost more than $133 million (100 million euros) to build. "Polimeks won over $200 million in contracts as part of the projects, which will also see an additional 2,000 hotel rooms built in Ashgabat," AFP reported. Calls by Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review to Polimeks’ Istanbul office were unanswered yesterday. The only response by a company official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was that Polimeks was a discreet firm. "Not in the sense that we’re hiding anything," he said. "But [as protection] against the evil eye."