A meeting of the Council for Cultural Cooperation of the CIS Member States will be held in Ashgabat this year. This was announced by Turkmenistan's Minister of Education, Jumamyrat Gurbangeldiyev, at the plenary session of the International Conference on Strengthening Cultural Ties and Developing Creative Industries in St. Petersburg.

"This year, a meeting of the Council for Cultural Cooperation of the CIS Member States is scheduled to be held in Ashgabat. This event will include a discussion of priority areas for strengthening cultural cooperation, preserving historical and cultural heritage, developing creative exchanges, and expanding humanitarian contacts," he said.

According to the minister, Turkmenistan, as the CIS chair, is doing and will continue to do everything possible to implement constructive and large-scale humanitarian initiatives for the benefit of all the peoples of the Commonwealth.

Gurbangeldiyev also noted that Turkmenistan, guided by its open-door policy and permanent neutrality, views culture as a "golden bridge" that unites peoples and strengthens an atmosphere of trust, mutual understanding, and respect.