On 11 April it became known that for two years the state holding “Turkmengas” had not been paying the debt of $2 451 000 to the Chinese company for 2 shunting locomotives supplied in 2015.
According to ANT, the Chinese company contacted the legal firm CIS Debt Recovery Solutions, which “successfully provides debt collection services in Russia and the CIS region” to recover the debt.
The editorial board of the Chronicles of Turkmenistan contacted the senior advisor of the company Taras Kopiy who said that for six months they had been trying to recover the debts in a number of ways and even contacted partners of “Turkmengas” in the TAPI project.
On 19 April, a week after the news was published on the websites, the debt was settled.
“As far as I understand the information on the big debt reached the country’s top leaders. Earlier in the morning the Chinese company notified our lawyers that the debt had been repaid”, Kopiy said.
It should be noted that this is not the first case when Turkmenistan settles the debt after the news on debts is published in media outlets.
On 14 September 2016 “Rosaviatsia” (Federal Air Transport Agency) briefed media outlets that starting from 19 September the air navigation service for “Turkmenhovaellary” flights in the air area of the Russian Federation would be ceased due to the company’s debts to State ATM Corporation subordinate to it.
Two days after the annoucement the debt was settled.
On 16 December 2016 the plane operated by the Turkmen state Airlines “Turkmenhovaellary” failed to depart to Istanbul from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris as it was detained by court officials for the company’s debts. Later this debt was also settled.