On February 18, a ceremony was held at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Ashgabat to hand over a humanitarian gift to the Government of Turkmenistan—5 tons of dates harvested in 1447 AH.

The gift was presented on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The dates were packed into 625 boxes, weighing a total of 5 tons.

The ceremony was attended by the Embassy Counselor, Deputy Head of the Diplomatic Mission Naif bin Saud Al-Sahli, representative of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Enlightenment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Talal Al-Maliki, as well as representatives of the Muftiate of Turkmenistan.

During the event, Nayef bin Saud Al-Sahli met with representatives of the Muftiate of Turkmenistan, who expressed gratitude to the Government of Saudi Arabia for the generous gift, symbolizing the friendship and brotherhood between the two countries. The Turkmen side also expressed gratitude for the support and assistance provided to Turkmen pilgrims during the annual Hajj rituals.

Due to their beneficial properties, dates are considered a universal food in the Muslim world, used to break the fast after each day of Lent, during which believers abstain from food and drink during daylight hours for an entire month. Dates are mentioned repeatedly in the Quran, as well as in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, who was particularly fond of the "Ajwa" variety.