Cultural Days of the Republic of Croatia in Turkmenistan came to a close in Ashgabat. The cultural program included various events. A photo exhibition, Intangible Heritage of the Republic of Croatia, that took place at the exhibition hall of the Museum of Fine Arts, sought to introduce visitors to the ancient cultural traditions of the Istrian Peninsula, the city of Dubrovnik, the island of Hvar etc. The diversity of genres and artistic expressions was reflected in the works that illustrated the peculiarities of the art of singing and dancing, the decorative and applied art and crafts, and the national cuisine. The photographs that captured the highlights of Croatian festivals and celebrations occupied a special place at the exhibition.

The program also envisaged a meeting at the Ministry of Culture, where colleagues discussed the prospects of bilateral cooperation in the humanitarian sphere that is backed by the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of culture signed in 2014 between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

The closing ceremony of this creative campaign took place at the Concert Hall of the Mukamlar Palace. It was attended by the representatives of academia and art community, our country’s public organizations, the media, students and many art enthusiasts.

The representatives of the ministries of culture of the two countries delivered welcoming speeches and thanked the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, and the President of the Republic of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, for the policy of multidimensional humanitarian cooperation that promotes the development of national cultures and forges the fruitful cooperation in this sphere.

The festival of friendship climaxed with the concert of Croatian pianists, Ivan Krpan and Paula Ropuš, who demonstrated their fine skills by playing the world-famous works by Claude Debussy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Francis Poulenc and Boris Papandopulo, the Croatian composer and conductor of Greek descent. The virtuoso musicians won the storm of applause from the grateful audience.

The events held as part of the Cultural Days introduced the people of Turkmenistan to the rich culture and art of the friendly country, while the guests had an opportunity to appreciate the unique historical and cultural heritage of the Turkmen people, to see the landmarks of Ashgabat and the exhibits of the National Turkmen Carpet Museum.

The Cultural Days of the Republic of Croatia in our country came to a close. The Turkmen-Croatian humanitarian dialog continues.