A SOLEMN FLOWER-LAYING CEREMONY AT THE MONUMENT TO THE OUTSTANDING TURKMEN POET AND THINKER MAGTYMGULY FRAGI AND THE DAY OF WORKERS OF CULTURE AND ART OF TURKMENISTAN WERE HELD IN KYIV

On June 25, 2026, the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Ukraine held solemn events dedicated to the Day of Workers of Culture and Art of Turkmenistan, as well as to the poetry of the outstanding Turkmen poet, humanist and thinker of the East, Magtymguly Fragi.

The central event of the festive programme was a solemn flower-laying ceremony at the monument to Magtymguly Fragi, located in one of the central squares of the city of Kyiv. The event brought together representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the foreign diplomatic corps, the Ministry of Culture, state authorities and local self-government bodies, scientific and educational institutions, the library community, writers, poets, translators, public figures, the Turkmen diaspora, students and numerous friends of Turkmenistan.

The participants of the ceremony paid tribute to the memory of the outstanding Turkmen classic, whose literary heritage has become an integral part of world spiritual culture. It was noted that the monument to Magtymguly Fragi in Kyiv is a symbol of the long-standing friendship between the Turkmen and Ukrainian peoples, their mutual respect and strong cultural and humanitarian ties.

The festive events continued with an official reception at the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Ukraine.

Opening the ceremony, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Ukraine, Toyly Atayev, congratulated those present on the professional holiday of workers of culture and art of Turkmenistan and the Day of Poetry of Magtymguly Fragi. In his speech, the Head of the diplomatic mission emphasized that the current year is being held under the motto “Independent, Permanently Neutral Turkmenistan – the Homeland of Purposeful Winged Horses” and is marked by preparations for the celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the Independence of Turkmenistan. The Ambassador particularly noted that the preservation and popularization of national cultural heritage are among the most important areas of Turkmenistan’s state policy, implemented under the leadership of the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and upon the initiatives of the National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Special attention in the speech was devoted to the personality of Magtymguly Fragi, whose ideas of humanism, peace, justice, unity of the people, respect for the individual and moral perfection remain relevant today.

The Ambassador noted the broad international recognition of the creative heritage of the great poet, emphasizing its inclusion in the International Register of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme, as well as the large-scale events held in the jubilee year of 2024 under the auspices of UNESCO and the International Organization of Turkic Culture, TURKSOY, which declared 2024 the Year of Magtymguly Fragi.

The Head of the diplomatic mission also spoke about the consistent socio-economic development of Turkmenistan, the implementation of large-scale state programmes aimed at modernizing the economy, developing industry, energy, transport and logistics infrastructure, digital technologies, as well as the development of the country’s largest gas fields and the implementation of major international energy projects.

It was also noted that Ukrainian companies are successfully implementing projects in Turkmenistan in the fields of construction, the oil and gas sector, industry, pharmaceuticals and other areas.

Special attention was given to cultural and educational projects implemented by the Embassy jointly with Ukrainian partners, aimed at strengthening the humanitarian dialogue between the countries.

The Ambassador underlined the steady development of Turkmen-Ukrainian cooperation, noting the intensification of bilateral interagency dialogue in these days, the expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties, cooperation in the field of education, as well as the significant potential for the further development of mutually beneficial partnership.

A representative of the Department for Central Asia of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine addressed the participants of the event with welcoming remarks, highly assessing the level of Turkmen-Ukrainian interaction, emphasizing the unifying role of culture in modern international relations and confirming the interest of the Ukrainian side in the steady development of multifaceted cooperation between the countries.

As part of the ceremony, the well-known Ukrainian poet, translator, researcher of the works of Magtymguly Fragi, Chairman of the Taras Shevchenko All-Ukrainian Society “Prosvita”, Pavlo Movchan, who is a two-time laureate of the state award of Turkmenistan, the Magtymguly Fragi Medal, delivered a speech.

He noted the enduring spiritual value of the works of Magtymguly Fragi, emphasizing that his poetry addresses the eternal questions of human existence — dignity, mercy, moral responsibility, love for the Motherland, mutual understanding and peace among peoples. It was noted that these very humanistic ideas make the works of the great Turkmen poet close and understandable to people of different countries and generations.

The festive atmosphere was enriched by performances of representatives of the Turkmen diaspora. Poems by Magtymguly Fragi were recited in the Turkmen and Ukrainian languages, and musical pieces were performed on traditional Turkmen national instruments — the dutar and the gyjak — introducing the guests to the richness of Turkmenistan’s musical art.

The guests were presented with a book and illustrative exhibition, which brought together numerous editions of the works of Magtymguly Fragi in different languages of the world, studies of his literary heritage, and books about the life and creative work of the poet.

The events once again demonstrated that culture is one of the most important factors in strengthening mutual understanding and trust between peoples. The creative heritage of Magtymguly Fragi continues to unite people around the universal ideals of peace, humanism, spirituality and mutual respect, serving as a solid foundation for the further development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation.