President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov held a meeting with cultural workers of Turkmenistan at the Palace of Mukam of the National Cultural Centre.

The cabinet ministers, the high-ranking officials and the representatives of the Mejlis, the national ministries and departments including the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting Activities, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the public organisations, members of the Galkynysh National Movement, the deputies khyakims and the heads of the velayat departments of culture took part in the meeting. The directors of the theaters, the artistic groups, the mass media workers, the notable cultural workers and artists from all over the country gathered in the Palace of Mukam.

The questions of paramount importance to Turkmen culture were raised during the sincere, constructive and serious conversation. The Turkmen leader gave the clear answers supported by the concrete actions. An important step towards forming the new public conscience based on the original spiritual values of the nation revived and maintained in the new historical epoch had been made.

President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov addressed the meeting.

Noting that the country and people had gone through the stage of establishing the sovereign state the President emphasized that the new ideology based on the realties and demand of the new time was required to strengthen the sovereignty and enter a news stage of development. Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov said that everything had been done in the national interests and the efforts had been aimed at achieving the ultimate goal – to develop market economy and to steadily improve the welfare of the Turkmen people. The President said that the principle “the state for the people” should be a fundamental principle of the national ideology noting that this principle underlay the activity of the Turkmen leader and the Government. The short-terms goals and aims of building the secular jural state with highly developed market economy were set in compliance with this principle. Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov emphasized that only the strong democratic state striving for achieving civil concord was enable to serve the people, to defend their interests and rights.

The Turkmen leader said that after proclaiming the national interests and specifying the priorities of their realization Turkmenistan started to design and pursue the policy ensuring the fulfillment of those tasks emphasizing that the vast opportunities were provided in this regard to the public organisations and governmental structures carrying out the activity in the sphere of ideology. The role of the mass media called upon to propagate and popularize the new national foreign and domestic policies on improvement of the welfare of the people, to elucidate the essence of the new programmes aimed at bringing the country up to the level of the highly developed countries increased.

The President said that the mass media should reflect the stability reigning in all spheres of the political and social life and the activity of the public authorities and organs of government as well, our ideological openness, the attractiveness of national economy for foreign investors with due regard to the recent initiatives on the reforms of the state system and creation of the common legal environment.

The President said that the new period called the epoch of new revival had started in the Turkmen history and this epoch set the challenges requiring the immediate response to everybody in our country. The Turkmen leader focused on the activity of the national mss media, televisions and radio in particular.

Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov said that the events taking place in the country were not appropriately covered in the electronic mass media emphasizing that the national television and radio programmes failed to cover the real life, to be aware to the people’s cherished desires and expectations. The Turkmen leader called upon the journalists to think how the situation could be improved, to start to think and work in a new way. In this regard the President suggested organizing the groups of well-experienced political and economic journalists at the national television.

The President said that the national newspapers and journals should improve their work. Some journalists did not notice yet the new time come. The only way for the journalists to improve their work was to be exacting and to meet the modern demands.

Focusing on the tasks of developing national dramatic art the Turkmen leader said that the situation in that sphere left much to be desired. The President said that the artistic groups, which had moved to the magnificent newly-constructed building, staged no production dedicated to the epoch of new revival. The President spoke about the necessity of creating the worthy working conditions and encouraging the healthy spirit of competitiveness in the theatres. Noting that paramount importance should be attached to training young specialists, search for young talents Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov set the particular tasks to the Turkmen State Institute of Culture.

The President said that the lack of the good cinemas in Ashgabat was upsetting. The cinemas Watan, Gurbansoltan Eje were used for other purposes and their buildings needed reconstructing. The Turkmen leader suggested reconstructing and modernizing the old buildings and constructing the cinemas meeting the modern standards in Ashgabat.

The President called for reviving national operatic art and involving the Turkmen highly qualified specialists and musicians in the activity. Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov said that it would take much time but he believed that Turkmen opera lovers would see the first opera within the next few months.

The President said that Turkmen library science would be offered a powerful incentive to develop. The Turkmen leader informed that a specialized centre responsible for procuring and disseminating books among the national libraries through the centralized library system would be established in the country.

The President informed that the building of the State Circus in Ashgabat would be reconstructed and the circus performances including equestrian performances would be arranged on the arena of the Ashgabat Circus.

The Turkmen leader provided the critical remarks to the chancellors for the failure to organize and manage the work on patriotic education of a younger generation. In this regard Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov suggested introducing a new discipline on development of modern Turkmen society at the national higher educational establishments.

Upon concluding the speech the President of Turkmenistan expressed belief that the epoch of new revival would be embodied in the new bright works in national literature, music, dramatic art and cinematography, the works created by the Turkmen painters, the national television and radio programmes, the articles in the national newspapers and journals.

Then the floor was given to the participants of the meeting.

Addressing the meeting Vice Premier M. Yazmuhammedova emphasized that the Turkmen leader’s statement was a determining factor for improving the work of the mass media and developing national culture in particular. M. Yazmuhammedova assured that the measures to eliminate the defects and to improve the work on training highly qualified specialists would be taken. Foreign experts would be invited to Turkmenistan for those purposes and Turkmen journalists would be trained abroad.

Minister of Culture and Broadcasting Activities G. Myradov noted that the ideological doctrine of the epoch of new revival – the epoch that had breathed new life into Turkmen culture and arts was embodied in the Turkmen leader’s statement

Speaking at the meeting Deputy Balkan Velayat Khyakim A. Satylova emphasized that the real support of development of national culture was obvious in the regions of the country as never before. The life quality was considerably improved, the people’s awareness of the significance of the fundamental reforms initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov for the benefit and happiness of the Motherland, the welfare of the Turkmen people increased. The National Programme of the President of Turkmenistan on improvement of the social and living conditions in villages, towns in the etraps and etrap centres would promote expanding construction for social and cultural purposes.

Editor-in-Chief of Turkmenistan Newspaper A. Poladov and Editor-in-Chief of Gurbansoltan Eje Journal A. Yusupova noted that the critical remarks the Turkmen leader had addressed to the national mass media would be a guide for action, help to find new themes, suggest the addresses of new working trips, the names of the heroes of reportages, interviews, essays.

On behalf of the Turkmen theatrical workers an actor of the Main Drama Theatre of Turkmenistan N. Annamuradov addressed the Turkmen leader. N. Annamuradov focused on the necessity of creating the new pieces on modern themes. He said that the time for our compatriots, who were implementing the grandiose reforms, to appear on the stage, to produce the performances embodying the themes of new revival had come.

On behalf of the Turkmen museum workers Director of the National Museum of Turkmenistan O. Mammetnurov addressed the meeting. O. Mammetnurov emphasized that nowadays the Turkmen museum workers had the abundant resources to full the designated tasks: to maintain and preserve the rich historical and cultural heritage of the Turkmen nation for the future generations. In this regard the President informed that the museums would be constructed in all the regions of Turkmenistan in the nearest future.

Addressing the meeting a teacher of the Turkmen State Institute of Culture, a playwright, well-known cinematographer B. Abdullaev focused on development of national cinematography.

Addressing the meeting Director of the Nyazli artistic group Ye. Dormidontova, People’s Painter of Turkmenistan S. Muhammedova, a composer D. Khydyrov expressed belief that the meeting at the Palace of Mukams would offer a powerful incentive to develop Turkmen culture and art.

Expressing sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the Turkmen leader for the permanent, active support those present unanimously assured Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov that they would spare no efforts, experience, talent and knowledge to fulfill the designated tasks.

The President of Turkmenistan issued the resolutions approving the new rates of honoraria for cultural workers and allowing the graduates of the secondary specialized educational establishments of culture and arts to continue the education at the institutions of higher education. The President suggested allocating the apartments in newly-constructed houses in the town of arts to talented young people – the winners of the national artistic contests. The President said that the government would continue to provide every possible support to talented people and create the conditions for full-scale creative activity in Turkmenistan.

Upon concluding the meeting the President wished everyone inexhaustible creative vigor, inspiration and success in the work.