New U.S. Embassy Compound reportedly demolished in Ashgabat over violation of red line concept

AKIPRESS.COM - Construction of the U.S. Embassy Compound in Ashgabat was halted and reportedly demolished since it was constructed in a location that violated the city's red line, a requirement that buildings be set back a certain distance from the road to achieve an aesthetic alignment, turkmen.news reported. A $196 million contract for construction of the new Embassy Compound in Ashgabat was awarded to Caddell Construction in 2014. The construction was initially scheduled to be completed in July 2018.
The Turkmen Government imposes a "red line" concept that requires constructed buildings in Ashgabat to be set back a certain distance from the road to ensure an aesthetic alignment.
In July 2016, the Government of Turkmenistan halted construction of the new office building because it was being constructed in a location that violated the city's red line after approximately $26 million had been expended to construct the facility.
Besides, Caddell Construction failed to obtain required construction permits from the Turkmen Government prior to initiating construction.
The U.S. Department has made repeated attempts to persuade the Turkmen Government to reverse its decision and allow the Embassy Compound construction to continue at its current location. However, all requests and proposed options had been rejected by the Turkmen Government. These efforts have involved at least seven high-level meetings between senior Department and Turkmen officials, beginning with a senior Department delegation visit in August 2016.
In that meeting, the Turkmen Government proposed demolishing part of the first floor of the Embassy compound as a compromise in lieu of demolishing the entire building. However, Department officials did not believe that this alternative was feasible. In the August 2016 meeting and subsequent meetings, Department officials also proposed building an earthen berm to conceal the building's protrusion over the Turkmen Government's red line. These proposals were not accepted.
In June 2019, the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador met with the President of Turkmenistan and again attempted to find a solution other than demolishing and rebuilding the Embassy compound. In response, the Turkmen President reiterated that the red line is Turkmen law and must be upheld.