The past week marked various events in the life of the country, which reflect the course of reform processes ongoing under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in the period of the Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State and aimed at steadily improving social and living standards of the people, enhancing the prestige of the Homeland on the world stage.

On August 14, the head of Turkmen state received the newly appointed Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) Kaha Imnadze.

During the meeting, the active position of our country in matters of constructive cooperation with the United Nations, which meets the goals of wellbeing and prosperity in the regional and global dimensions, was highlighted. It was emphasized that today Central Asia, which is one of the strategic regions of the planet, demonstrates a dynamic pace of development. The Central Asian states are fruitfully collaborating to maintain global peace and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, emphasis was placed on the work of the Regional Center, which establishment was initiated by National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, being done to promote preventive diplomacy and new forms of cooperation, as well as the implementation of specific programs.

Expressing confidence that the activities of the UNRCCA will be successfully continued in the future, the President of Turkmenistan stressed that strengthening and expanding the wide-ranging partnership with the UN is one of the priorities of the country’s foreign policy. Having the status of permanent neutrality, twice recognized by the United Nations member states, our Homeland has been actively cooperating with the UN and its specialized agencies for many years, regularly putting forward initiatives in various fields.

At the end of the meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Kaha Imnadze expressed confidence that long-term cooperation between Turkmenistan and the United Nations, which is of a strategic nature, will continue to develop successfully for the universal peace, prosperity and progress.

On August 20, the President of Turkmenistan made a working visit to Hungary in order to participate in the celebrations on the occasion of the World Track-And-Field Athletics Championship in Budapest, as well as the national holiday of the country, St. Stephen’s Day.

At the meeting of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, which was held in an enlarged manner with the participation of representatives of the delegations of the two countries, the high level of Turkmen-Hungarian relations was highlighted.

Energy was specified as the key area of mutual efforts. In this context, it was noted that the European vector has been and remains one of the priorities for our state, which is always ready for effective cooperation with foreign partners, both on a bilateral and multilateral basis.

Transport, industry, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and a number of other sectors were identified among other promising areas of cooperation. Along with this, great importance is attached to the deepening of the Turkmen-Hungarian humanitarian relations. In view of this, the stimulation of mutually beneficial contacts in the field of sports will also contribute to enriching the content of traditional bilateral relations.

The commitment of Turkmenistan and Hungary to a constructive partnership within the reputable international organizations, primarily the UN, was confirmed.

At the end of the meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed confidence in the further successful development of a fruitful interstate dialogue.

In the afternoon, the head of Turkmen state, together with other high guests, watched one of the most captivating competitions - the final 100-meter race among men at the National Athletics Center, where the strongest athletes competed for the title of champion. 

Inviting the President of Turkmenistan to take part in the ceremonial events on the occasion of the 19th World Track-And-Field Athletics is an indication of the high international prestige of our Homeland, recognition of its significant contribution to the strengthening of peace and the development of friendly relations between countries and peoples of the world.

On August 15, a new complex of buildings and facilities of the State Border Service was opened on the Caspian coast. This clearly demonstrates the success of the work being carried out on the initiative of the President of Turkmenistan in the field of consistent modernization of the material and technical resources of the Armed Forces of the country, improvement of service, living and social conditions for military personnel and their families.

Thus, the complex includes an administrative building, a training building equipped in compliance with the latest technologies, barracks equipped with everything necessary for the recreation and leisure of young soldiers, classrooms, and lecture halls for political studies, indoor and outdoor sports grounds, as well as other social facilities. The servicemen have at their disposal the “Galkynyş” room and a library with a rich book fund, which will allow them to expand their knowledge on topics of interest and spend their free time usefully.

The application of a digital system and advanced training methods will help sailors acquire modern knowledge, skills in operating naval vessels and specialized equipment, and observe the sea area.

Among the buildings there are two three-storey 48-apartment houses with a convenient layout of rooms for comfortable living and rest.

Vehicles were presented, on behalf of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, to the modern complex of facilities and buildings of the State Border Service.

Among other events of the week was the working trip of National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov round the capital. Having examined the progress of work on the territory of the cultural and park complex of Magtymguly Pyragy located in the southern part of Ashgabat, as well as with a number of projects for the development of the capital city of the country, which are important in the light of the 300th anniversary of the birth of great thinker Magtymguly Pyragy to be celebrated in 2024, the Hero Arkadag stressed the need for a harmonious combination of the urban environment, man-made green areas and the surrounding landscape, and ensuring the ecological wellbeing of Ashgabat, ordering to keep under strict control the landscaping of this beautiful site, turning it into a blossoming garden.

Stressing the importance of applying the latest technologies in the design of the cultural and park complex, the National Leader of the Turkmen people focused on the bright illumination of the sculpture of Magtymguly Pyragy using various special effects. It is necessary to take a responsible and comprehensive approach to the successful solution to these problems, the Hero Arkadag said. The complex will become a popular vacation spot for citizens and guests, and will inspire talented youth to create new artworks.

Large-scale celebrations on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great thinker of the East, as well as the opening of this large cultural and park complex in 2024, must be unforgettable, like the perfect poetry of Magtymguly Pyragy, Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov continued, and the song and music performances organized on this occasion must meet the spirit of the time, glorify the achievements of the native Homeland and the national love for the poet.

Having also watched the presented projects and sketches for modernizing the road leading to the International Airport, the National Leader of the Turkmen people made a number of comments and introduced appropriate corrections. The materials used in the road construction of the capital must be of the highest quality and meet the requirements of international standards.

The scientist Arkadag, being a strong follower of artistic creation, thinking about the upcoming anniversary of the poet on the weekends, wrote new lines of poetry, which he read while sitting on a bench in the shade of trees of a beautiful forest-park complex.

The poetic work of the Hero Arkadag, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding classical poet of the East, was published in the major printed publications.

On August 18, the National Music and Drama Theater named after Magtymguly hosted a solemn conference “Arkadagly döwrüň bardyr, Pyragy!” on the presentation of a new poem by National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov “Ocean of Wisdom of Magtymguly Pyragy”.

It was noted during the conference that the modern historical epoch, which started with the program reforms of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, marked a number of important events. These include declaring 2024 the “Year of the great poet and thinker of the Turkic world – Magtymguly Pyragy”, the inclusion of the collection of Magtymguly’s manuscripts in the International Memory of the World Register List, the inscription of the 300th anniversary of the poet’s birth on the UNESCO’s List of Memorable Dates.

The targeted measures taken to preserve and popularize the invaluable literary heritage of the great artist in words and thinker, imbued with deep wisdom, are a striking illustration of the achievements of cultural diplomacy, successfully implemented under the leadership of Head of State Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

During the event, excerpts from the new poetic work of the National Leader of the Turkmen people were recited. Musical and song compositions performed added festive mood to the event. Well-known pop singers sang songs to the words of Magtymguly, poets recited the poems of the great artist in words, and literary critics provided interesting information about the lexical semantics of Pyragy’s works.

Among the significant events of the week was the celebration of the 30th anniversary of our country’s accession to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In this regard, a number of ceremonial events are planned.

National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov sent an Address to the President of Turkmenistan with sincere congratulations on the occasion of this anniversary.

As was emphasized in the message, the expansion of cultural relations between Turkmenistan and international organizations in the period of the Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State is an important component of creating a single cultural space and a common system for enhancing intercultural contacts. Along with economic and political cooperation, this creates favorable conditions for strengthening the dialogue of cultures, increasing the prestige of the Homeland in the international arena.

On August 17, the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a solemn conference “Turkmenistan-UNESCO: cooperation for prosperity” on the 30th anniversary of our country’s accession to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which was attended by some Deputy Chairpersons of the Cabinet of Ministers, heads and employees of ministries and departments, public organizations, diplomatic missions and representative offices accredited in Turkmenistan, international agencies, students and the mass media.

The forum became a kind of platform for summing up the outcomes of 30-year long cooperation between Turkmenistan and UNESCO. As a full member of this Organization, our country is doing a lot of work to preserve, enrich and widely popularize the cultural and spiritual heritage of the Turkmen people around the world.

On the significant occasion an exhibition was organized in the foyer of the institute, the exposition of which included samples of fine and decorative-applied arts, traditional folk crafts, Turkmen carpets, national clothes and jewelry, and musical instruments. A special place was designated for the books by National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

The speeches of the conference participants highlighted that as a result of the successful continuation by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of the noble undertakings initiated by the Hero Arkadag, the country attaches particular importance to the consistent expansion of cooperation with specialized UN agencies, in particular UNESCO.

Reviewing the outcomes of 30-year long cooperation, the speakers said that Turkmenistan has established a reputation as one of the active partners of this specialized UN organization, participating in many of its projects and programmes aimed at developing international humanitarian and intercultural relations. The great importance attached to the traditional long-term dialogue is clearly evidenced by the National Commission for UNESCO operating in our country.

The legal framework of the established fruitful cooperation is consistently strengthened. To date, Turkmenistan has ratified 12 UNESCO Conventions in a number of important areas. Active work is underway to implement the UNESCO’s World Heritage programme aimed at preserving and promoting natural or man-made objects of special cultural, historical or environmental significance.

There are prospects for new areas of bilateral partnership in such areas as digital technologies, climate change, water resources management, sports and tourism. Turkmenistan intends to go on promoting a uniting agenda within UNESCO for broader participation in the strategically important projects of this Organization. Among the priorities are science, education, culture, programs in the field of youth policy, sports and communications.

Good news came last week. The Magtymguly Youth Organization of Turkmenistan became an official member of the UNESCO Global Youth Community, a unique world platform created and managed by youth, which is aimed at developing cooperation in the field of UNESCO’s youth initiatives and other similar projects.

This was another striking illustration of services performed by our country in strengthening the international youth dialogue, as well as the harmonious spiritual, moral, cultural, intellectual and physical development of the younger generation.

In general, the events of the past week demonstrated the success of the state policy being pursued under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, which basic goal is to ensure the prosperous life of the people of Turkmenistan and the further prosperity of the Homeland.