President Abdullah Gül Pays An Official Visit To Turkmenistan

H.E. Abdullah Gül, the President of Republic of Turkey pays an official visit to Turkmenistan between 29-31 May 2013 upon the invitation of Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov, President of Turkmenistan.

During the visit, the cooperation protocol was signed for TİKA’s restoration projects in Turkmenistan. The draft protocols were about restoration and reconstruction of tombs that belong to important historical personages.

President Abdullah Gül, accompanied by First Layd Hayrünnisa Gül, made a state visit to Turkmenistan upon the invitation of President Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov. Nihat Ergün, the Minister of Science, Industry and Technology, TİKA President Dr. Serdar Çam, some Members of Parliament, Journalists and Businessmen attended the visit, as well.

During his visit, President Gül was given The State Medal of Turkmenistan, which was given to a foreign head of state for the first time in the Turkmen history. The President was given an honorary professorship by the Turkmenistan State Institute of Economics and Management, and delivered an address at the ceremony during which he declared Turkmenistan to be the fatherland of the Turkish nation. President Abdullah Gül and President Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the new campus of the International Turkmen-Turkish University. President Berdimuhamedov also presented an Akhal Teke Turkmen horse named “Arkadaş (friend)” to President Gül and the two leaders had a memoir photo taken with “Arkadaş”. President Gül expressed his pleasure to have been given Arkadaş as a gift by President Berdimuhamedov, whom he called “my friend”.

As a part of President Gül’s state visit to Turkmenistan, the relevant departments of the Turkish and Turkmen governments signed cooperation agreements for the implementation of projects. Signatures will ensure the continuation of close and friendly relations and they will contribute to improve the cooperation between two countries.

The Tomb of Sultan Alparslan

When TİKA President Dr. Serdar Çam visited Turkmenistan on 19-22 July 2012, he made the Sultan Alparslan Tomb a current issue. Right after, Turkmenistan Government announced that they will cooperate with TİKA.

In this context, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) President Serdar Çam and Turkmenistan Council of Ministers Deputy Chairman Sapardurdi Toyliyev signed a cooperation agreement to locate and restore the tomb of Sultan Alparslan.

The Restoration of the Sahaba Tombs

TİKA President Dr. Serdar Çam and accompanying delegation visited Turkmenistan on 19-22 July 2012. During the visit they made the two Sahabas a current issue to Mr. Gunça Mammedova, the Minister of Culture of Turkmenistan. In this context, an engineer, an art historian and an architect were charged with the restoration of the Sahaba Tombs (Sahaba of Al-Hakam Gifari and Bureyda Al-Aslami). The tombs located in Mary Province that have been declared as the World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO will be restored by TİKA.