Under the auspices of TURKSOY, on the 18^th to 19^th of April, the first stage of events took place in Ankara to mark the announcement of the city of Anev in Turkmenistan as the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024, as well as the celebration of the 300^th anniversary of the birth of the classical poet and philosopher of the East Magtymguly Fragi.

The opening ceremony of the 2024 program in memory of Magtymguly Fragi, organized by TURKSOY jointly with the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Ankara and the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, took place in front of the poet’s monument in the Turkmenistan Park in the Dikmen Valley. The event was attended by the General Secretary of TURKSOY Sultan Rayev, the Ambassador of Turkmenistan in Ankara Mekan Ishangulyyev, the rector of the Turkmen State Institute of Culture Amanmyrat Aydogdyyev and other guests.

In his speech, Sultan Rayev said: «Magtymguly is an unfading and bright star at the top of Turkmen literature, who with his creativity left a deep mark not only in his era, but also in the heritage of the entire Turkic world, and even today he is more relevant than ever». Continuing his speech, General Secretary of TURKSOY noted that Magtymguly Fragi is considered one of the most important representatives of Turkmen literature due to the subtle expression and deep spirituality of his poems, adding: «His works take readers on an emotional journey, and at the same time reflect the spirit of the Turkmen people. Magtymguly is of great importance in the development of the Turkmen language as a language, in the unification of Turkmen tribes and the existence of the Turkmen nation in the Turkic world».

Ambassador of Turkmenistan in Ankara Mekan Ishangulyyev expressed gratitude to TURKSOY and other organizations of the Republic of Türkiye for their active participation in events dedicated to the declaration of Anev as the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024 and the celebration of the 300^th anniversary of the birth of Magtymguly Fragi, emphasizing the importance of these two holidays for Turkmenistan.

Speaking at the ceremony, the rector of the Turkmen State Institute of Culture Amanmyrat Aydogdyyev emphasized the importance of Magtymguly Fragi from the point of view of Turkmen culture and history, and also noted that the poems he created put him among the leading poets not only of Turkmen literature, but also of all world literature. The ceremony ended with a dance show performed by the folklore dance ensemble «Miras» of the Turkmen State Institute of Culture.

As part of the planned events, on the 19^th of April, an exhibition of paintings on the theme «Magtymguly Fragi and Anev» was opened in the exhibition hall of the General Secretariat of TURKSOY. The presentation of the book by the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhammedov «Anev - culture from the depths of millennia» took place in the conference hall of TURKSOY. The program of the first stage of events ended with the thematic concert «Magtymguly Fragi, the great poet and philosopher of the Türkiye world».