A cultural event marking the establishment of 15 December as the World Day of the Turkic Language Family was held in Ashgabat at the Cultural Center operating under the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Turkmenistan.

 

The gathering brought together members of the diplomatic community accredited in Turkmenistan, media representatives, as well as residents and visitors of the capital interested in cultural and linguistic cooperation.

 

The event followed a resolution adopted at the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference held in Samarkand. Under this decision, 15 December was officially designated as the World Day of the Turkic Language Family. The initiative, put forward by the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, received wide international endorsement and aims to highlight the shared linguistic, cultural and historical heritage of Turkic peoples on a global scale.

 

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Türkiye to Turkmenistan Ahmet Demirok noted that the new international observance would contribute to strengthening friendly relations, promoting cultural interaction and enhancing mutual understanding among nations.

 

According to UNESCO, Turkic languages — including Turkmen, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Uzbek — are the mother tongue of more than 200 million people worldwide, with their area of distribution covering approximately 12 million square kilometers.

 

The program featured video presentations dedicated to the history and cultural richness of the Turkic world.

 

It was emphasized that the annual observance of the World Day of the Turkic Language Family will play an important role in preserving intangible cultural heritage and promoting linguistic diversity across the globe.