Today, Turkmenistan celebrates the day of the Turkmen carpet. According to the Decree of the President of the country, it is celebrated annually on the last Sunday of May. In honor of this event, an exhibition and fair dedicated to the development of the carpet, textile and trade sectors of Turkmenistan, and the XX conference of the world Association of connoisseurs of Turkmen carpet are opening in Ashgabat today. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov addressed a welcome message to the participants, which, in particular, reads:

"I cordially congratulate you on the holiday of the Turkmen carpet – our national pride – and the beginning of the exhibition and fair dedicated to the development of the carpet, textile and trade sectors of Turkmenistan, and the XX conference of the world Association of connoisseurs of Turkmen carpet!

Magnificent Turkmen carpets, striking with their filigree and color scheme, are a model of beauty that has multiplied the Treasury of human civilization.

At the 14th meeting of the intergovernmental Committee for the protection of the intangible cultural heritage of the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural Organization, held on December 12, 2019 in the capital of the Republic of Colombia, Bogota, it was decided to include the Turkmen national carpet-making art in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity of UNESCO. This is a clear evidence of the recognition by the world community of our amazing carpets created by the skilled hands of Turkmen women, their talent as a delightful example of folk art.

Our carpets, admiring with their splendor, refinement, color palette, harmony of wonderful colors, concentrate and reflect all the beautiful qualities of our people, their national mentality. Placing carpet gels on state symbols of the country is a sign of our loyalty to the precepts of our ancestors, following the unique traditions of the people, preserving the characteristics of the character and Outlook of the nation, and a symbol of its further prosperity.

In the modern era, special attention is paid to the development of carpet art of our people, which has won fame all over the world. Fruitful work is underway to popularize it widely abroad, systematically improve it, and preserve original samples of ancient carpets.

Holding a large-scale exhibition-fair dedicated to the development of the carpet, textile and trade sectors of Turkmenistan, on the days when the Holiday of the Turkmen carpet is celebrated, has a special meaning.

The great merit of those ancient merchants who transported goods by caravans from East to West along the ancient silk road, which left an indelible mark on the Turkmen land, is in popularizing our elegant carpets, comparable to a work of art, and increasing their fame. Today, the Great silk road is being revived anew and is being embodied in the development of multilateral trade and economic cooperation based on the principles of friendship and fraternity.

Equipped with advanced technologies, enterprises of the textile industry of Turkmenistan – one of the leading and dynamically developing branches of the national economy – will also widely present their achievements, best practices, textile products in high demand on domestic and international markets, as well as new products offered to customers in the spring and summer season this year.

Large-scale planned work is being carried out in the country to meet domestic demand for environmentally friendly domestic products of high quality and competitiveness, to popularize them widely in the world, to increase the export potential of goods produced in Turkmenistan, and this activity will continue in the future.

I am sure that the conference of the world Association of connoisseurs of the Turkmen carpet, which has become a good tradition and is being held this year for the twentieth time, will help to reflect the successes achieved in the carpet industry of the country, to exchange views, to intensify cooperation," the message of the head of state reads.