A Turkmen delegation took part in the 39^th meeting of the Council of the International association of academies of sciences (IAAS) and the Conference of eminent scientists of the Global South, held from the 26^th to 28^th of October in the city of Xi'an, People's Republic of China.

A key event during the visit was the decision by the IAAS Council to elect the President of the Academy of sciences of Turkmenistan, Allaberdi Ashyrov, as an academician of the association. Amidst the applause of the participants in this significant scientific meeting, he was ceremoniously presented with the insignia of an academician of the IAAS, along with a diploma. This event served as a striking recognition of the high calibre of the Turkmen scientific school and a sign of trust in its representatives.

In his acceptance speech, newly elected International association of academies of sciences (IAAS) academician Allaberdi Ashyrov emphasised: «I view this as recognition not only of my own work, but also of the achievements of scientists in Turkmenistan, as well as the contribution made by the Academy of sciences of Turkmenistan to the development of international scientific cooperation».

The 39^th meeting of the IAAS Council, which opened ceremonially on the 26^th of October under the leadership of the head of association Vladimir Karanik, Chairman of the Presidium of the National academy of sciences of Belarus brought together leaders and staff from academies of sciences and research centres in Belarus, Russia, China, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Cuba.

During a meeting of the Council focused on expanding inter-academic cooperation, A. Ashyrov delivered a presentation titled «Science in Turkmenistan: current status, prospects, and international cooperation». The President of the Academy of sciences of Turkmenistan spoke in detail about the current state of scientific development in Turkmenistan and its positive impact on the innovative growth of the national economy. In this context, note was made of the activities of the International science and technology park of the Academy of sciences of Turkmenistan, as well as the Engineering and technology university of Turkmenistan named after Oguz han, which train specialists in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

It was emphasised that, on the basis of scientific and technical cooperation agreements, Turkmenistan is actively engaging with more than 40 countries around the world, and its partnership with China is reaching a qualitatively new level. In this regard, it was noted that from the 13^th to 15^th October, scientists from the two countries held the IV Turkmen-Chinese scientific and innovation forum.

Following up on the meeting, the Turkmen side proposed that its partners within the International association of academies of sciences (IAAS) join forces in five areas: new materials and chemical technologies; renewable energy; ecology and water resources; biotechnology and food security; and information technology and artificial intelligence. The Turkmen side also put forward a concrete initiative to establish a joint program to support young scientists, which includes internships, competitions, and collaborative projects.

On the 27^th of October, as part of the Conference of outstanding scientists of the Global South, Mukam Ekayev, a member of the IAAS Council and head of the department of nanotechnology and materials science at the Engineering and Technology University of Turkmenistan named after Oguz han, delivered a report titled «Advanced technologies in fundamental research and technical development: perspective of Turkmenistan» at the sub‑forum «Artificial intelligence and computing systems».

A scientist spoke about the application of artificial intelligence in engineering and about technologies being developed at the university named after Oguz han. Separately, he presented his own research in the field of graphene nanotechnology, which employs molecular dynamics simulations to study this unique material, with artificial intelligence serving as a modelling tool.

The extensive program of scientific events in Xi'an concluded with bilateral meetings and discussions, as well as a tour of the laboratories at Northwestern polytechnical university one of the leading technical universities of China.

The visit of Turkmen scientists to the PRC has served as yet another striking confirmation of active integration of Turkmenistan into the global scientific community and the support for its initiatives at that level; it also represents a significant contribution to strengthening international scientific cooperation a factor that plays a vital role in the modern development of science, higher education, and the industrial and technological potential of Turkmenistan.