Minister of Culture of Turkmenistan Atageldi Shamyradov spoke on 31 October at the plenary session of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, according to the online news resource TerraNews.

He noted the symbolism of holding the forum outside Paris for the first time in more than 40 years and stressed that the choice of Samarkand reflects UNESCO's desire to strengthen cultural dialogue between peoples.

A. Shamyradov stressed that cooperation with UNESCO is one of the priorities of Turkmenistan's foreign policy, based on neutrality and equal partnership.

The Minister recalled that there are over a thousand historical and cultural monuments registered in Turkmenistan, including three sites included in the World Heritage List: Ancient Merv, Kunya-Urgench and Nisa.

He also announced Turkmenistan's nomination to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO for the period 2026–2030 and noted the development of cooperation on UNESCO programmes, including UNITWIN, Man and the Biosphere, Memory of the World and the Creative Cities Network.

In conclusion, the Minister confirmed Turkmenistan's readiness to continue to actively participate in UNESCO's mission to strengthen peace and mutual understanding.