Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made a working visit to the city of Arkadag, organizational work is underway in Turkmenistan to send pilgrims to Mecca and Medina, Turkmenistan and Iran discussed issues of delimitation of the Caspian Sea and other news
Turkmenistan
1. National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made a working visit to the city of Arkadag, where he got acquainted with the progress of construction of the second stage and held a working meeting with the heads of specialized structures. During the visit, the Chairman of the State Committee for Construction of the city of Arkadag Deryageldy Orazov presented information on the projects of upcoming new buildings. Special attention was paid to the pace of construction of the second stage facilities. During the meeting, the mayor of the city of Arkadag, Gulshat Mammedova, informed about the preparations for the National Holiday of the Turkmen Horse, which coincides with the presentation of keys to new residential buildings to domestic horse breeders.
2. Turkmenistan is actively organizing the process of sending citizens who want to perform the hajj to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The Office of the Mufti of Turkmenistan coordinates all necessary events for pilgrims, and the state provides special flights during the celebration of Gurban bayramy, which, according to a presidential decree, is celebrated in the country for three days. The Mufti of Turkmenistan, Yalkap Hojagulyev, announced this during the working visit of the National Leader of the Turkmen people. During the visit, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty visited the construction site of the new mosque, which will be able to accommodate 30 thousand believers at a time, including a separate room for women for 5 thousand people.
3. Bilateral Turkmen-Iranian consultations on the definition of the maritime border, delimitation of fishing zones and the bottom of the Caspian Sea were held in Ashgabat. The talks took place at the Institute of the Caspian Sea of Turkmenistan. The Turkmen delegation was headed by the Director of the Caspian Sea Institute Myrat Atajanov, the Iranian side was represented by the Assistant to the Iranian Foreign Minister for Caspian Sea Affairs Alireza Jahangiri. During the meeting, the parties discussed not only issues of bilateral and five-way cooperation, but also considered a number of environmental issues related to the Caspian Sea.
4. The delegation of Turkmenistan took part in the celebrations on the occasion of the announcement of the city of Aktau as the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2025. The city of Aktau, located on the coast of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan, took over the baton of the cultural capital of the Turkic world from the Turkmen city of Anau, which honorably held this high status in 2024. The solemn ceremony held in Aktau was attended by ministers and high-ranking representatives of the ministries of culture of the TURKSOY member countries.
5. During his visit to Geneva, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Hojamurad Geldymuradov held talks with Director General of the World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The parties discussed current interaction and possible forms of further cooperation between Turkmenistan and the WTO, including issues related to the country's accession to the WTO.
6. Prospects for expanding mutual trade and improving business ties between Turkmenistan and the Volgograd Region were discussed during a business meeting in Volgograd. The meeting was attended by representatives of the business community of the Volgograd Region and representatives of Turkmenistan - the heads of the Textile Complex named after the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashy and the Kahka Textile Complex. The main topic of discussion was the issue of exporting textile products from Turkmenistan to the Volgograd region. The parties also considered the possibility of organizing joint projects in the field of textile production.
World
1. The Chinese government has made significant changes to its marriage registration rules, aimed at increasing the number of weddings in the country. Statistics show a noticeable decline in the number of marriages: if 7,68 million couples officially registered their relationship in 2023, then in 2024 this figure fell to 6,1 million. The updated legislation significantly simplifies the marriage procedure. From May 10, 2025, citizens of the PRC will only need to present an identity card and proof of the absence of a valid marriage and close kinship in three generations. Previously, a household registration book was also a mandatory document, which created additional complications. An important innovation was the possibility of registering a marriage outside the place of official registration. This is the first update to the marriage legislation since 2003.
2. A Nigerian man has been jailed for six months for throwing money around during his wedding. The court found Abdullah Musa Husseini guilty of violating the law on the protection of the national currency. As the investigation established, the defendant threw banknotes around himself during the festive event. According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Husseini scattered about 100 banknotes of 1000 naira each, which is about 59 euros. A federal judge in Kano classified the act as deliberate debasement of the national currency and handed down the maximum possible sentence.
Sport
1. On April 11, the 6th round of the Turkmenistan Football Championship will start with the match between “Ahal” and “Merv”. The next day, the match between “Altyn Asyr” and “Shagadam” will take place, and the round will end on April 13 with the game between “Kopetdag” and “Nebitchi”. Earlier, the Control and Disciplinary Committee of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan (FFT) awarded Mary “Merv” a technical defeat with a score of 0:3 in the match of the 4th round of the Turkmenistan Football Championship against Balkanabat “Nebitchi”.
2. The champion of Turkmenistan, the football club “Arkadag”, lost away to Kuwaiti “Al-Arabi” in the first semi-final match of the AFC Challenge League. The match, which took place in Kuwait, ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the home team. The return match will be held in the city of “Arkadag” on April 16.
