The President of Turkmenistan and the National Leader of the Turkmen people received the head of the Turkmen-Austrian Society and the chairman of the Japanese-Turkmen Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, the International Exhibition of Modern Food Production Technologies starts in Ashgabat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan has identified key areas of cooperation with the European Union and other news

Turkmenistan

1. President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received the head of the Turkmen-Austrian Society, Neda Berger. During the meeting, cultural and humanitarian ties were discussed, in particular, the holding of the sixth Vienna Ball in Turkmenistan this year and the creation of the House of Austria in Ashgabat in the future, 2025.

– You are a long-time and true friend of Turkmenistan. For many years, you have been actively participating in various holidays held in our country, consistently making a contribution to the development of interstate relations”, - said President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

2. National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov also warmly greeted the head of the Turkmen-Austrian Society, congratulating her on her recent anniversary. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed deep gratitude to Berger for her efforts in bringing the two countries closer together, building bridges of friendship and cooperation. At the meeting, special attention was paid to the importance of strengthening bilateral cultural and humanitarian ties. At the end of the meeting, the National Leader of the Turkmen people noted that he would be glad to see Neda Berger among the guests of honor at the upcoming celebrations in honor of the 300th anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi.

3. President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received the Chairman of the Japan-Turkmen Interparliamentary Friendship Group Toshiaki Endo. The parties had an interested exchange of views on priority aspects of the Turkmen-Japanese partnership. One of the key vectors of Turkmen-Japanese relations is trade and economic partnership. Great importance is attached to the activities of the joint Committee. In this context, it was emphasized that Turkmenistan and large Japanese companies have accumulated many years of experience in interaction in various fields, including the gas industry and chemical industry.

4. National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with the Chairman of the Japanese-Turkmen Interparliamentary Friendship Group Toshiaki Endo. Member of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet, Ayano Sato, also took part in the meeting. Noting that Turkmenistan and Japan constructively interact both in a bilateral format and within the framework of international organizations, the National Leader of the Turkmen people expressed gratitude to the Japanese side for supporting the neutral status and peaceful foreign policy of Turkmenistan, as well as its initiative to declare 2025 the International Year peace and trust. “Next year a number of events will be held under this motto”, - Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said, inviting representatives of Japan to take part in them. Taking this opportunity, Toshiaki Endo also invited Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to visit the World Exhibition “EXPO-2025”, which will be held in Japan next year.

5. The International Exhibition of Modern Food Production Technologies Agro Pack Turkmenistan & Turkmen Food has opened in the Turkmen capital. The organizers of the show are the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan and the international company Sofuar. The purpose of the exhibition is to demonstrate the country’s achievements in the field of agro-industrial complex, food industry and agriculture, as well as to establish cooperation between domestic and foreign companies to exchange experience, technologies and products. The exhibition itself will last until May 17. Today and tomorrow the Expo Center can be visited from 10 to 18 pm, on the last day - from 10 to 15:00.

6. At the first meeting of the conference “30 years of partnership between Turkmenistan and the EU”, the Turkmen side outlined priority areas of interaction with the European Union. During the conference, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, emphasized the importance of capacity building in various fields. The main priority is also security in all its dimensions - global, regional and national, which are closely interconnected. Meredov said that Turkmenistan has always stood for global peace and security. The country is interested in exchanging experience and cooperation in this area and, within its capabilities, contributes to the fight against terrorism, transnational crime and drug trafficking. An area that requires increased attention in the partnership between Turkmenistan and the EU is climate change. Promising areas also include energy, transport and the green circular economy.

7. Turkmenistan and the German Society for International Cooperation entered into an agreement on the implementation of a large-scale project aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change. The project entitled “Measures and political dialogue to combat climate change in 2024-2028” will start in the near future. The corresponding memorandum was signed on May 14 in Ashgabat by representatives of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan, the State Concern “Turkmengaz” and GIZ.

8. Saudi Arabia donated 25 tons of dates to Turkmenistan. The shipment of the fruit, sacred in Islam, was donated by the King Salman Center for Support and Humanitarian Aid. The solemn handover ceremony took place at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Ashgabat. The received dates will be distributed among mosques and Muslim communities in Turkmenistan.

World

9. The higher education system in Russia is undergoing significant changes: from 2025, the concept of “bachelor” will disappear in the country. Instead, there will be two levels: basic higher education and specialized higher education. The new education system is designed to make students' opportunities more flexible and relevant to modern realities. Basic higher education will last from 4 to 6 years, depending on the specialty.

10. In the desert of the Chinese province of Gansu, traffic lights are installed to regulate the movement of camels. This unusual decision was made by local authorities in connection with the annual festival, which attracts thousands of tourists to the region. Camel riding is one of the main attractions of the holiday, and in 2023, 2,4 thousand of these animals were brought here, many of which walked along the ancient Silk Road. Traffic lights should help streamline the movement of camels and make it safer for both animals and tourists.

Sport

11. The Control and Disciplinary Committee of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan awarded Turkmenbashy “Shagadam” a technical defeat with a score of 0:3 in the match of the 10th round of the Major League against “Altyn Asyr”. This is evidenced by the updated tournament table on the FFT website. On April 24, “Shagadam” hosted “Altyn Asyr” on their home field. The match was stopped in the 83rd minute with the score 2:0 in favor of the guests and was not completed.