On 8 January 2026, the presentation of a collection of poems by the great Turkmen classic poet and thinker Magtymguly Fragi, translated into Romanian, took place at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. This event was an important step in popularizing the Turkmen cultural heritage and strengthening humanitarian ties between Turkmenistan and Romania.
The event was attended by the heads and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, heads and representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in the country, heads of Turkmen diplomatic missions abroad, faculty and students of the Institute, as well as media representatives.
The presentation was attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Myakhri Byashimova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Turkmenistan Ion Naval, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Romania Annamammet Annaev, Rector of the Institute of International Relations Gulshat Yusupova, researcher at the Magtymguly Institute of Language, Literature and National Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan Nargul Atasheva, lecturer at the Turkmen State University named after Magtymguly Lale Ashirov, as well as the vice-rector of the Institute Begench Matliev.
The speakers emphasized the continuing relevance of Magtymguly Fragi’s work, which continues to attract worldwide interest centuries later. The poetry of the great thinker, which celebrates patriotism, peace, humanism, justice, honesty, compassion and love for the Fatherland, serves as a moral guideline for the younger generation. It was especially noted that at the beginning of 2026, the poet’s legacy remains alive: his manuscripts are included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
In his speech, Romanian Ambassador Ion Naval noted that in Romania, only a limited number of Magtymguly’s poems were translated into Romanian, but now the complete collection will allow all Romanian speakers to get to know the “pillar of Turkmen poetry” better. The Ambassador thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov for a volume of Magtymguly’s poems in 2024.
Ion Naval also recalled the long-standing tradition of translating Turkmen literature into Romanian, dating back more than 20 years. Among them are the works of Arkadag Hero Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov about Akhal—Teke horses, tea and traditional medicine, and the first translated book was “Ruhnama”.
The Ambassador stressed that Magtymguly’s ideas about peace, mutual respect and friendship between peoples are the basis of the foreign policy of neutrality of modern Turkmenistan, but can serve as a model of diplomacy for all states of the world. According to him, the new edition is becoming an important bridge between our cultures and a new chapter in the development of Romanian-Turkmen cultural relations.
Among the recent cultural projects, the diplomat mentioned the tour of the „Transilvania National Folk Ensemble” in Turkmenistan (Avaza and Ashgabat), the days of Turkmenistan culture in Romania in the cities of Bucharest and Constanta, the inauguration of the statue of the National Poet of Romania, Mihai Eminescu, exhibitions of Turkmen carpets in Romania, etc.
Ambassador Naval noted that Turkmenistan is Romania’s key partner in Central Asia. Bilateral relations between Turkmenistan and Romania have developed and strengthened over the past 33 years in a wide range of areas, ranging from political dialogue, cultural affairs and inter-human contacts, and moving on to topics such as connectivity and water management. Cooperation in education was highlighted: through the new cooperation programme between the ministries of education of Romania and Turkmenistan, the Romanian side has substantially increased the number of scholarships granted to young Turkmen people.
In conclusion, Ambassador Ion Naval thanked the editors, translators and all those who made this editorial appearance possible, inviting the audience to open the pages of the book “not just to read poetry lines, but to listen to the heartbeat of a people and to the wisdom of a genius that now belongs to all humanity.”///nCa, 8 January 2026
Here are some photos from the presentation:
