Ankara hosted a solemn cultural event organised by the Embassy of Turkmenistan in the Republic of Turkey on 28 May this year. The event was held at the University of Music and Fine Arts and was dedicated to two significant events - the proclamation of 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality. This is reported by the IIC. Within the framework of the event, Turkmen students presented a rich artistic programme, including the performance of folk songs, traditional musical compositions and folklore national dances. A special flavour of the holiday was given by an exhibition of Turkmen folk art, which displayed carpets, traditional Turkmen jewellery, ancient musical instruments and samples of arts and crafts. The holiday ended in accordance with the good Turkmen custom - treating the guests with various dishes of national cuisine, which was a heartwarming finale of the cultural event.
The IV Festival of Literature and Books of the Turkic World, in which Turkmenistan takes an active part, has opened in the capital of Azerbaijan. This large-scale cultural event, organised by the International Union of Authors of the Turkic World, is aimed at strengthening spiritual ties between Turkic-speaking peoples. This is reported by the IIC. The festival pays special attention to the national literary traditions of each participating country. Turkmenistan will present its rich literary culture through a series of presentations of new books, poetry evenings and performances by creative groups. These events will allow festival guests to get acquainted with contemporary Turkmen authors and centuries-old literary traditions. The festival programme includes numerous cultural events: exhibitions of rare editions, scientific conferences dedicated to the development of Turkic literature, as well as concert programmes with the participation of artists from different countries. The festival will end on 1 June with a big children's festival where young readers will be able to discover the world of Turkic literature. Turkmenistan's participation in this prestigious literary forum underlines the aspiration to develop intercultural dialogue and promote the literary heritage of the Turkmen people outside the country.
On 24 May 2025, Turkmenistan's diplomatic mission to the Republic of Korea took part in the annual Seoul Friendship Festival organised by the capital's City Hall. It is reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The national pavilion of Turkmenistan displayed arts and crafts, traditional clothes, paintings by Turkmen artists, as well as literature about Turkmenistan. The works of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov took a central place in the exposition and aroused special interest of the guests. The festival participants also learnt about Turkmenistan's peaceful foreign policy, socio-economic achievements and cultural initiatives. Special attention was paid to the events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's neutrality and the International Year of Peace and Trust.
The Embassy of Turkmenistan in Georgia together with the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan organised an exhibition of Turkmen and Azerbaijani carpets on 23 May. The event was held in the gallery ‘Akhundov House’ and was dedicated to the Holiday of Turkmen Carpet, the IIC of Turkmenistan reported. According to the source, the visitors were presented handmade carpets, jewellery, souvenirs and works of arts and crafts. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Georgia Dovletmyrat Seyitmammedov stressed the importance of the carpet as a symbol of national culture and spiritual heritage, noting its recognition at the international level, including its inclusion in the UNESCO list. The Turkmen Ambassador added that the exhibition was also dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's neutrality. Speakers noted the importance of such cultural events for strengthening friendship between peoples. The exhibition will last until 27 May.
In May 2025, the VII International Ethnosport Culture Festival was held in Istanbul, where Turkmenistan presented its rich culture and art of national horse breeding. The equestrian games group ‘Galkynysh’, created on the initiative of Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, became one of the main stars of the event. This is reported by the online edition of ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. Turkmen jigits demonstrated on the world arena the art of horse riding and complicated tricks, national costumes and musical traditions of Turkmenistan, as well as the beauty of the famous Akhalteke horses, which are a living symbol of the country's cultural heritage. Their grace and endurance once again confirmed the high status of Turkmen horse breeding as a unique phenomenon of world culture. The festival, organised by the World Confederation of Ethnosports, has become an important platform for strengthening international cultural ties and demonstrating the diversity of traditional sports.
A unique art exhibition ‘Colours of the World’ organised on the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation has opened in the halls of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The visitors' attention was particularly drawn to the works of Turkmen artists, selected thanks to the professional approach of the gallery's curators, the press service of the Turkmen diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation reports. The exhibition included one hundred works presented by twenty embassies of Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and CIS countries. Each work reflects national artistic traditions and modern trends, forming a bright, multi-layered picture of the world's cultural diversity. The event took place in the new building of the gallery on Kadashevskaya Embankment and gathered about 60 diplomatic missions. Some of the diplomats not only curated the exposition, but also acted as authors of the presented works. The source notes that the works of Turkmen artists were characterised by both deep national content and original artistic form, arousing keen interest of both the professional community and the general audience. The stand with contemporary Turkmen painting became one of the central points of attraction of the exposition. The exposition became a large-scale cultural diplomacy project that united the works provided by the diplomatic missions accredited in the Russian capital.
A meeting with a Kyrgyz delegation was held in the city of Arkadag to discuss bilateral co-operation between Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. The official talks were combined with a rich cultural programme highlighting the historical commonality of traditions of the two nations. This is reported by the IIC. The cultural part of the visit included a symbolic exchange of gifts: the Kyrgyz side presented its Turkmen colleagues with natural honey and a traditional string instrument komuz, which is related to the Turkmen dutar. The delegation visited the International Academy of Horse Breeding named after Aba Annaev, where they learnt about the work on preservation of the famous Akhalteke breed. The guests watched a unique performance at the Gorogly State Equestrian Circus, and at the International Akhalteke Equestrian Complex they saw a joint performance of Akhalteke horses, Kyrgyz Taigan hunting dogs, Turkmen tazy greyhounds and eagle catchers. This spectacular event clearly demonstrated the common cultural heritage of the peoples of Central Asia.
Young poets from Turkmenistan will take part in the international festival ‘Zhashyl aalam’ (‘Green World’), which will be held from 28 to 30 May in the picturesque city of Osh (Kyrgyzstan). This is reported by the IIC of Turkmenistan. According to the source, the festival will become a platform for creative dialogue and strengthening of cultural ties between aspiring authors from Turkmenistan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. In addition, the participation of Turkmen poets in such a significant international event emphasises the growing interest in the contemporary literature of Turkmenistan and contributes to the deepening of cultural interaction in the Turkic world.
The opening ceremony of the International Festival ‘Music of the World’ was held in the Mukam Palace of the State Cultural Centre of Turkmenistan. This was reported by the state news agency 'Turkmenistan: Golden Age'. The cultural forum gathered in Ashgabat distinguished composers, conductors, opera singers and musicians from Russia, China, France, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. According to the source, the welcoming address by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the beginning of the ceremony emphasised the importance of international creative forums for the promotion of national culture and strengthening of friendly ties between peoples. The Head of State expressed confidence that the festival would become a bright platform for cultural exchange and popularisation of universal humanistic values. Performances by artists from China, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Russia attracted special attention of the audience. Compositions dedicated to peace, friendship and cultural diversity were performed. The evening ended with the song ‘Türkmen sährasy’, which was welcomed by the audience with standing ovations and applause. The foyer of the Mukam Palace was decorated with an exhibition introducing the guests to the historical and cultural heritage of Turkmenistan. Excursions to the sights of Ashgabat were organised for foreign participants. The source notes that the festival also includes creative meetings, master classes of foreign artists and a final gala concert to summarise the results of this large-scale cultural event.
The ‘Aşgabat’ Song and Music Centre hosted a concert of masters of arts dedicated to the Constitution and State Flag Day of Turkmenistan. The holiday uniting the two state symbols emphasises the importance of national unity and cultural traditions of the country. This is reported by the state news agency TDH. The event was opened with a literary and musical composition ‘Başym gurban bolsun Türkmenistana, başym gurban Arkadagly Serdara, başym gurban parlap duran tuguma, başym gurban bolsun Arkadagyma!’. The programme included performances by popular vocalists, musical and choreographic groups, as well as young participants from folklore ensembles. The audience was particularly excited by the performance of patriotic songs reflecting pride in the country's achievements. The concert ended with a kushtdepdi dance in a modern interpretation, presented by the ‘Miras’ group. The festive events timed to mark Constitution and State Flag Day were held across the country, uniting people in an atmosphere of celebration and patriotism.
On 16 May this year, the Turkish province of Alanya hosted the grand opening of a photo exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality and the proclamation of 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust. The event was organised by the Embassy of Turkmenistan in the Republic of Turkey together with the University of Alanya. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The opening ceremony was attended by prominent cultural figures, representatives of socio-political organisations in Turkey, journalists and students. The participants of the event stressed that Turkmenistan, pursuing a peace-loving foreign policy, successfully implements large-scale development programmes through equal international cooperation. The exposition presented a photopanorama demonstrating the successes of Turkmenistan's urban development policy. Special attention was paid to the projects aimed at improving the quality of life of the population, creating comfortable conditions for labour and recreation of citizens. The exhibition was a testimony of the country's achievements over three decades of neutral status.
The III Bishkek International Film Festival will be held in the Kyrgyz capital from 11 to 15 June, with the participation of Turkmen filmmakers. They will present the feature film ‘Kitap’ (‘The Book’) directed by Hekim Alovov, as Turkmenistan's IIC reports. According to the source, the film, which was made by the Oguzkhan Turkmenfilm Association, is based on the work of Nurmyrat Sarykhanov and tells about the reverence of spiritual values by the Turkmen people. The film has already won recognition at the IV International Film Festival of the Turkic World "Gorkut ata" in Ashgabat and was awarded at the II International Film Festival "Turan" in Izmir.