Under the chairmanship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, a regular meeting of the country's National Commission for UNESCO was held in Ashgabat, reports the press service of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry.

The meeting was attended by members of the Government, heads of relevant ministries and departments.

At the meeting it was reported that in 2023, 4 international documents were signed between Turkmenistan and UNESCO. This made it possible to take measures to preserve the rich cultural and natural heritage of the Turkmen people and increase its significance at the international level.

Particular attention was paid to joint efforts to include the national values of Turkmenistan on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Thus, last year three objects from Turkmenistan were included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

In addition, Turkmenistan was elected as a member of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on Physical Education and Sports (CIGEPS) for 2023–2027. Also, UNESCO Chairs have been opened in two higher educational institutions of the country, and 6 schools have joined the network of UNESCO Associated Schools.

An important result was the inclusion of the collection of Magtymguly Fragi’s manuscripts in the UNESCO International Memory of the World List. In addition, the 300th anniversary of the birth of the classic of Turkmen literature was included in the UNESCO list of memorable dates for 2024-2025.

The meeting participants emphasized the importance of preparing for joint events with UNESCO planned for 2024. The draft work plan of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO for the current year was also reviewed.