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Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invited Aliyev to visit Turkmenistan

11 Aug. 07:39

Source

National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invited President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to visit Turkmenistan at any convenient time during a telephone conversation, TDH reports.

The telephone conversation took place on Sunday. The parties noted with satisfaction the current high level of relations between the two countries.

“During the conversation, the importance of the agreements reached and documents signed during President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the United States of America was emphasized. Hero Arkadag congratulated the President and the people of the friendly country on achieving these historic agreements,” the statement said.

Ilham Aliyev also congratulated the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty and the President of Turkmenistan on the successful completion of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries held in Avaza and expressed gratitude for the hospitality extended to the Azerbaijani delegation.

During the conversation, the importance of the trilateral meeting between Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan held in Avaza was emphasized. In this regard, the interlocutors noted the existence of great opportunities for further expansion of cooperation between the three countries in a wide range of areas, in particular, in the development of transport and communication corridors.

It was also noted that a meeting of the heads of state of the Central Asian countries was held at the Avaza Congress Center, where issues related to the upcoming Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of the Central Asian countries, which will be held in Tashkent in the fall, were discussed. During the meeting, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov's initiative to join Azerbaijan to this cooperation format was voiced.

During the conversation, the parties also exchanged views on priority areas of bilateral relations.

The telephone conversation took place at the initiative of the Azerbaijani side.

















Singapore Pledges Up to $55,000 Per Child to Boost Falling Birth Rates

24 Aug. 12:48

Source

Facing a record drop in fertility rates, Singapore is significantly expanding its family support framework. According to Bloomberg, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced increases in direct financial assistance alongside enhanced housing benefits for young families.

Under the updated policy, every Singaporean child up to the age of 17 will be eligible to receive up to 70,000 Singapore dollars (approximately $55,000 USD) in total support, which includes cash payouts, educational grants, and related benefits. The government is also expanding paid parental leave and capping monthly out-of-pocket costs for government-subsidized childcare at 150 Singapore dollars.

These interventions aim to reverse a severe demographic decline, marked by last year's fertility rate drop to 0.87 children per woman, while over 20% of the country's population is currently aged 65 or older.