Last week, Türkiye’s Minister of National Education, Yusuf Tekin, visited Turkmenistan to attend the closing ceremony of the 2nd International Mathematical Olympiad for school students held in Ashgabat.
In Ashgabat, he held talks with DPM of Turkmenistan, Bayramgul Orazdurdyeva, and Minister of Education, Djumamyrat Gurbangeldyev, according to a press release from Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education.
Highlighting the importance of the meeting with Minister Tekin and his delegation, DPM Orazdurdyeva noted that “mutual visits strengthen bilateral and multilateral relations between the two countries.”
In turn, Yusuf Tekin stated that Türkiye views Turkic countries, particularly Turkmenistan, as special partners, recalling that Türkiye was the first country to recognize Turkmenistan’s independence.
“The visit took place at the invitation of the Chairman of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, Dunyagozel Gulmanova, and Minister of Education Gurbangeldyev, who visited Türkiye in February. As a sign of our brotherhood, we have arrived here today with a strong team and are very pleased to be here,” Tekin said.
Conveying greetings from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli, Tekin emphasized the importance of strengthening educational ties with Turkmenistan.
Tekin expressed gratitude to the Turkmen side for supporting the Joint Turkish-Turkmen School and proposed several initiatives for educational exchange. “We could share experiences and jointly develop topics related to our shared history and culture for inclusion in curricula. To foster brotherly relations, we need to expedite the signing of a cooperation agreement in the field of education,” he noted.
The minister also suggested exploring the possibility of establishing the Turkish Maarif Foundation (TMV) in Turkmenistan, which operates in 55 countries and educates over 100,000 students.
Expressing gratitude for the detailed information about TMV’s activities, Orazdurdyeva promised to consider the potential contribution of the Maarif Foundation to the country’s development.
“We aim to raise youth who are competitive on an international level. We want to leverage your positive experience in our educational system,” she added.
Turkmenistan’s Minister of Education, D. Gurbangeldyev, noting President Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s efforts to align the country’s education system with global standards, underscored the strategic importance of relations with Türkiye.
Thanking Tekin for his proposals and support, he invited his Turkish counterpart to visit other cities in Turkmenistan to witness progress in the education sector.
The meeting was attended by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Ashgabat, Ahmet Demirok, Director General for European Union and Foreign Relations at the Ministry of Education, Tuba Korkmaz, and Director General for Support Services, Ömer Fatih Karakullukçu. ///nCa, 28 April 2025