Turkmenistan

1. Transport companies of Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan signed a memorandum on the establishment of a joint venture for the development of transportation. The purpose of the agreement is to create a single logistics operator on the eastern route of the “North-South” international transport corridor. The memorandum was signed by the General Director of the “Transport and Logistics Center of Turkmenistan” OJSC Merdan Bashimov, the General Director of KTZ Express JSC Kairat Utyapov and the General Director of “RZD Logistics” JSC Dmitry Murev.

2. The simplification of customs clearance during the transportation of goods was discussed by the heads of specialized services of the countries of Central Asia and China via the digital system. Among other topics, issues of cooperation within the framework of the “Single Window” project, the exchange of experience in the development of “smart customs”, the fight against customs offenses and the exchange of information were considered.

3. The first eco-festival in honor of the Earth Day was held in Turkmenabat. The event was held in the city park “Bitaraplyk” and was open to the general public. Guests of the festival were able to participate in thematic events organized in different parts of the park, including stands on art, education, technology and culture.

4. The new representative of Turkmenistan to the European Union, Sapar Palvanov, presented copies of his credentials to the head of protocol of the European External Action Service, Thierry Bechet. During the meeting, the diplomats exchanged views on strengthening bilateral cooperation and ways to bring it to a new level. Among the main topics of the conversation was the establishment of contacts at the highest level, which, of course, will give a tangible impetus to the development of the dialogue between Turkmenistan and the European Union on its key tracks.

5. According to the indicators of three months of 2023, Turkmenistan entered the top 10 largest foreign trade partners of Uzbekistan. For the period from January to March of this year, the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan increased by 1,8% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 263,4 million USD.

World

6. Istanbul's Sultanahmet Mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque, has reopened after five years of restoration work. The Blue Mosque was built at the beginning of the XVII century in the historical part of Istanbul, opposite the Hagia Sophia Mosque. During the restoration, three of the six minarets had to be completely dismantled and rebuilt, the electrical wiring was also replaced, stones and decorative elements were cleaned. It is worth noting that for all five years of restoration, the mosque was completely closed only for five months, while continuing to work with restrictions the rest of the time.

7. From April 24 to 26, Tashkent will host the international industrial exhibition “Innoprom. Central Asia 2023”. Manufacturers from the CIS countries, as well as international industrial companies, will take part in the exhibition with collective national stands. A separate site has been allocated for an open exposition, where samples of agricultural and transport engineering from the largest manufacturers of the Commonwealth countries will be presented.

Sport

8. The boxing tournament held within the framework of the Spartakiad of universities of the Republic of Tatarstan has ended in Kazan. Among the boxers in the weight category up to 80 kg, there was no equal to Reshit Ovezov. The Turkmen student had three fights, two of which ended ahead of schedule.

9. “Napoli” are close to securing the Italian Serie A title ahead of schedule. To win the championship, the team needs to beat “Salernitana” in the next round. “Lazio”, which is in second place, should not beat “Inter”. In this case, “Napoli” will become the champion of Italy ahead of schedule for the first time in 33 years.

10. FC “Arkadag” defeated the Mary “Energetik” in the first match of the preliminary stage of the Cup of Turkmenistan on football. The meeting was held on Saturday at the “Nisa” stadium in Ashgabat and ended with the score 4:0 in favor of Arkadag. The return match will be held on May 2. The winner of the pair “Arkadag” – “Energetik” will play against “Kopetdag” in the quarterfinals.