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Turkmen Journalist Wins First Place at “Caspian Without Borders” International Media Contest
Muhammet Bekgiev, a journalist representing the newspaper Turkmenistan, secured first place in the international media competition Caspian Without Borders in the category "Discovering the Caspian Countries." His winning work, titled “The Path of Abai, or the Teachings of the Kazakh Thinker in Today’s World,” received high praise from the jury.
Bekgiev is also a laureate of the TURKSOY festival-competition.
Other Turkmen media representatives also performed well. Ilaman Churiev (Turkmenistan newspaper) took second place in the "PhotoCaspian" category for a series of photos showcasing the flora and fauna of Ashgabat and environmental education efforts.
The jury’s special prize was awarded to Vagif Samedov (CentralAsia.news) for his article “Circus Art Enriches Turkmen Culture.”
The awards ceremony took place at the Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theatre as part of the 10th Caspian Media Forum.
More than 120 submissions were received for this year's competition, which included five categories: “PhotoCaspian,” “Fresh Perspective,” “Man and the Sea,” “Discovering the Caspian Countries,” and “Caspian — Territory of Health.”
The Grand Prix was awarded to Anastasia Kuznetsova of GTRK Lotus for her feature “Caspian Robinson”, covering the expedition of renowned oceanologist Pyotr Bukharytsin to Ukatny Island in the northern Caspian.
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The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Turkmenistan has officially approved the work and rest schedule for 2026. In Turkmenistan, there will be a total of 12 official public holidays across all regions.
Workweek formats are as follows:
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Five-day workweek — 40 hours
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Six-day workweek (7 hours/day) — 40 hours
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Six-day workweek (6 hours/day) — 36 hours
The public holidays in Turkmenistan in 2026 are:
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January 1 — New Year
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March 8 — International Women’s Day
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March 20 — Oraza Bayram
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March 21–22 — National Spring Holiday
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May 18 — Constitution and State Flag Day of Turkmenistan
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May 27–29 — Gurban Bayram
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September 27 — Independence Day
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October 6 — Day of Remembrance
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December 12 — International Neutrality Day
On the workday preceding a public holiday, working hours are reduced by one hour. The same applies to night shifts, and in continuous production, the schedule is equivalent to a normal day. The average monthly working time is 166.9 hours for a 40-hour workweek and 150.5 hours for a 36-hour workweek. This ensures a balanced labor schedule throughout Turkmenistan in 2026.
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