1. President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov paid a state visit to Tajikistan, during which he discussed with Emomali Rahmon the development of Turkmen-Tajik cooperation in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. As a result of the high-level talks, the heads of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan signed a Declaration on deepening the strategic partnership. Within the framework of the visit, Serdar Berdimuhamedov also took part in the ceremony of launching the construction of a new school named after Magtymguly in the “Ergash Sultonov” dikhkan farm for 540 people.
2. Bahshi from Turkmenistan Garyagdy Sariyev won first place in the III International Bakhshi Festival, which was held in Uzbekistan. The winners of the festival received cash prizes. The Grand Prix of the festival was won by the representative of Uzbekistan Ilhom Norov. Bahshis from more than 40 foreign countries took part in the festival. 64 performers competed in the creative competition - 10 local and 54 foreign bahshis.
3. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree approving the “Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Turkmenistan, the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Türkiye on the establishment of a joint Consultative Commission on Customs Cooperation”. The memorandum was signed in the city of Turkmenbashi on December 14, 2022 within the framework of the first Summit of the heads of state of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Türkiye. On April 27, the relevant document was approved by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
4. UNDP in Turkmenistan donated a batch of a drug for the treatment of endocrine and neurological diseases to the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of the country. A total of 10 000 vials were donated for a total of 256 000 USD. The drug was purchased with funding from the Government of Turkmenistan under the project for the procurement of drugs and medical products for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases for 2021-2023.
5. Emirates airlines Emirates and Etihad Airways have entered into a new mutual cooperation agreement. The signed memorandum of understanding will give tourists traveling to the United Arab Emirates the opportunity to purchase tickets with arrival in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, but departure back from another airport. The scheme will also apply to transit flights through the UAE to third countries. This is the first such agreement between the two largest airlines in the world, which aims to increase the tourist flow from other countries to the UAE by providing travelers with the conditions to visit several cities within the same trip. The agreement is expected to be implemented this summer.
6. Liverpool hosted the first semi-final of the “Eurovision” song contest. As a result, representatives of Israel, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Finland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Sweden reached the final of the competition. Performers from Azerbaijan, Latvia, Ireland, Malta and the Netherlands dropped out of the competition at this stage. This year's Eurovision favorites are singer Loreen from Sweden and Finnish rap artist Kaarija.
7. “Milan” lost to “Inter” in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. The meeting was held on Wednesday at the “San Siro” stadium and ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the nominal guests. Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored goals. Mkhitaryan also became the first Armenian to score at this stage of the tournament and the third CIS player to score in a Champions League semi-final. The return match of the team will be held in a week, on May 16.
8. Eight medals, one silver and seven bronze, were won by Turkmen wrestlers at the Asian Kurash Championship held in Hangzhou. More than 100 athletes from 20 countries took part in the Asian championship. Silver medal in the team of Turkmenistan was awarded to Ayshirin Haydarova in the weight category up to 48 kg. As a reminder, the Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8, 2023. The city is actively preparing for the upcoming sporting event.
9. Sergio Busquets has announced his departure from “Barcelona” at the end of the current season. “I have always dreamed of playing in this shirt, in this stadium, and the reality exceeded my expectations: I could not even imagine that I would spend 15 seasons at the club, be its member, player, captain”, - Busquets said. The 34 years old midfielder has been with “Barcelona's” senior team since 2008. He made 719 appearances for “Barça”, scoring 18 goals and providing 45 assists. Together with the team, the midfielder became the champion of Spain 8 times and 7 times - the owner of the country's cup, 3 times - the winner of the Champions League and the owner of the UEFA Super Cup. Busquets won the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championship with Spain.
