OREANDA-NEWS. December 11, 2008. Turkmenistan is still one of the most capacious outlets of KAMAZ and the most stable among them under conditions of the world economic crisis.

By the end of 2008 KAMAZ will have shipped about 1600 trucks and spare parts for them for the sum of 2.6 million dollars to this country of Central Asia. This is more than three times as much as in 2007 (then 453 units were realized) by vehicles and 9 times as much – by spare parts (there were 284 thousand dollars). Such a result secures that Turkmenistan will take the third place in the rating of KAMAZ production importing countries by total purchase amount, and the first place by efficiency of its potential automobile market capacity.

Modern KAMAZ vehicles predominate in truck fleets of Turkmen enterprises and state and public offices. State concerns Turkmenavtoyollary, Turkmenneft, Turkmengaz, Turkmenneftegazstroy, Ministries of Oil and Gas, Defence, Home Affairs, Energy and Industry, Building and Health, Hyakimlik of Ashkhabad and other enterprises and offices became key customers of KAMAZ in 2008.

The policy of permanent neutrality (Day of Neutrality is celebrated in the country as the state holiday on December 12) appreciated by the international community 13 years ago, the independent economic policy of the Turkmen government and timely preventative crisis management measures enabled to considerably ease the bad influence of the global crisis on the country’s economy. For 11 months of 2008 the total volume of GDP grew by 23.7% in comparison with the corresponding period of 2007. This is the best performance among those of the developing countries of the region.

The country’s stability attracts foreign investors to Turkmenistan. Thus, the volumes of foreign investment in its economy quadrupled in 2008.

KAMAZ also builds its business in the brotherly country on the firm and long-term basis. This year in Ashkhabad there was opened the KAMAZ training and trade center for sale, repair and service of 5 thousand vehicles per year. It was opened by Presidents of Russia, Turkmenistan and Tatarstan. The total cost of this investment project made up 8 million dollars. The training and trade center has got a training center for Turkmen drivers and experts. Service centers were opened in Balkanabad and Mary too.

KAMAZ trains automobilists to be for Turkmenistan and for itself. This year the first students from Turkmenistan started to study their special subject “Automobiles and Fleets” in Engineering and Economic Academy of Naberezhnye Chelny (INEKA).

In 2009 KAMAZ Foreign-Trade Company expects to keep its presence on the Turkmen car market at the minimum on the level of 2008.