Turkmenistan’s President meets UNESCO Regional Head
of the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, has stated that they are taking a responsible and systematic approach towards developing cooperation with UNESCO. Serdar made this statement during a meeting on Monday with Golda El-Khoury, the head of the UNESCO Cluster Office in Tehran and UNESCO representative in Turkmenistan and Iran. Golda El-Khoury expressed UNESCO’s desire to further develop cooperation with Turkmenistan.
During the meeting, Golda El-Khoury presented certificates to the President on the inclusion of three elements in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind. These elements included the art of Turkmen hand embroidery, sericulture and traditional silk production for weaving, as well as traditional stories about Khoja Nasreddin.
Serdar Berdimuhamedov exchanged views with the head of the UNESCO Cluster Office about the status and prospects of partnership, highlighting the active role of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s membership in UNESCO, during which several historical sites on Turkmen territory were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The President of Turkmenistan and Golda El-Khoury reviewed activities to include other types of art and customs of the Turkmen people in the UNESCO Heritage List in the future. They also discussed including Ashgabat in the UNESCO Network of Creative Cities. A new step towards developing contacts was the creation of UNESCO chairs at the Magtymguly Turkmen State University and the Seyitnazar Seydi Turkmen State Pedagogical Institute.
Golda El-Khoury arrived in Ashgabat on Sunday and has several meetings and negotiations planned. These meetings include meeting with the Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO, at the Ministry of Culture, at the TSU named after Magtymguly at the UNESCO Department, and the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. She will also visit the Museum of the Turkmen Carpet, the Museum of Fine Arts and the State Museum of Turkmenistan as part of her accompanying program.
UNESCO’s Cluster office in Tehran aims to cooperate with Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. There is a high expectation that the cooperation between Turkmenistan and UNESCO will improve over time, bringing more benefits to both Turkmenistan and UNESCO.
