Turkmenistan views the Ahal-Teke World Equestrian and Beauty Championships, scheduled to be held in September 2026 in the Netherlands, not only as a cultural and sporting event, but also as a platform for strengthening friendship between the two countries. This was stated in a statement by the Embassy of Turkmenistan in the Netherlands following a meeting between Ambassador Sapar Palvanov and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Director General for Political Affairs, Joost Flamand.

"The upcoming championship is viewed not only as a significant cultural and sporting event, but also as an important platform for strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of Turkmenistan and the Netherlands, expanding humanitarian ties, and further promoting the Ahal-Teke breed internationally," the statement said.

The competition will be held at the Peelbergen Equestrian Center in the province of Limburg. According to the announcement, this will be the first international Ahal-Teke competition of this scale held outside of Turkmenistan. The event is expected to bring together representatives of this breed from around the world to the Netherlands.

The choice of the Netherlands as the host country for the championship, according to the embassy, was due to the country's rich equestrian culture, the high level of development of equestrian sports and long-standing horse breeding traditions, as well as experience in organizing large-scale equestrian events.

During the talks, the parties also discussed prospects for developing political, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation. Specifically, they discussed the possibility of holding a Turkmen-Dutch business forum in The Hague with the participation of government officials and business representatives from both countries. It is noted that such a forum could provide additional impetus to bilateral trade and economic cooperation and facilitate the implementation of joint projects in Turkmenistan using Dutch technologies.

In addition, the parties exchanged views on cooperation in the field of water resources management, the implementation of water-saving technologies and adaptation to climate change.

The Ambassador also held a separate meeting with Bob Aal, Head of the High-Level Events Unit of the Protocol Department of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which they discussed organizational and technical issues related to the preparation of high-level delegation visits. The Dutch side expressed its readiness for further constructive cooperation in preparing upcoming events.