The good news came from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), being a specialized agency of the United Nations.

The 216th session of the UNESCO Executive Council was held at the headquarters of this structure in Paris from May 10 to 24, during which it was unanimously decided to include the collection of manuscripts of the Turkmen philosopher and poet Magtymguly Fraghi in the International Memory of the World List.

Also at the session, the proposal of UNESCO member states regarding the participation of this UN specialized agency in the celebration of 46 anniversaries in 2024-2025 was approved. Among them is the initiative presented by Turkmenistan with the support of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan and Ukraine to include the Day of celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Turkmen poet Magtymguly Fraghi in the UNESCO List of Memorable Dates.

These decisions have become another evidence of the success of the international cultural diplomacy pursued by the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, including the preservation, study and popularization in the world of the invaluable heritage of the outstanding classic Magtymguly, being an integral part of the universal cultural treasury.

The Memory of the World Program, created by UNESCO in 1992, is an international project for the protection of ancient written monuments of countries and peoples of the world – documents or collections of documents of significant and enduring value both in paper, audiovisual, digital, and in any other format. The program aims to make documentary heritage more accessible to the general public.

It should be noted that this year is marked by the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s accession to the full membership of UNESCO. As a result of the successful continuation by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of the noble undertakings initiated by the Hero-Arkadag, special importance is attached to the consistent expansion of cooperation with United Nations structures, including UNESCO. Huge joint work is being carried out in our country, extensive experience of cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, in the field of preserving historical heritage has been accumulated. The National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO carries out effective activities in this direction.

Last year, the Turkmen delegation took part in a meeting of the national commissions for UNESCO of the TURKSOY member countries, held in the city of Bursa (Republic of Türkiye), where it was unanimously decided to declare 2024 as the year of the great poet and thinker of the Turkic world, Magtymguly Fraghi, in connection with the celebration his 300th birthday. 

Thus, the inclusion of the collection of manuscripts of the Turkmen philosopher and poet Magtymguly Fraghi in the International Memory of the World List and the inclusion of his 300th anniversary in the UNESCO List of Memorable Dates confirms that the poetic heritage of the great Master of the Word is a great, bright, deeply original contribution of the Turkmen people to world culture.

The progressive initiatives put forward by Turkmenistan, aimed at ensuring the careful preservation and popularization of the historical and cultural heritage of the Homeland, as well as enhancing cooperation with UNESCO, have gained broad support from the Community of Nations. All this is a clear evidence of the triumph of cultural and scientific diplomacy of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in the name of the triumph of the high ideals of the Turkmen people and all human civilization.