Iran, Turkmenistan’s handicrafts festival underway
Iran and Turkmenistan are currently hosting a tourism and handicrafts festival in the city of Ashgabat as a symbol of friendship between the two nations.
Ashgabat’s Academy of Visual Arts has been adorned with Turkmen silk carpets and Iranian traditional arts, accompanied by Iranian and Turkmen musical instruments. Both Iranian and Turkmen cuisine is also being featured, along with traditional music performed by groups from Turkmenistan and Iranian provinces, including East Azarbaijan, Kermanshah, Lorestan, and Khorasan Razavi, according to ISNA.
The festival, which started on October 31, is set to continue until November 2.
During the opening ceremony of this tourism event, Mahmoud Sadeqi, the deputy head of the Iranian Embassy in Turkmenistan, emphasized the role of tourism in connecting governments and people, especially in culturally intertwined countries like Iran and Turkmenistan.
He also mentioned previous cultural exchange activities between the two nations, such as Iran Cultural Week, held in Ashgabat last February.
He highlighted the upcoming Turkmen Cultural Week, scheduled for late November 2023, in the city of Isfahan, Iran.
“Fortunately, with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the reopening of Turkmenistan’s borders, the interaction between the citizens of both countries has significantly increased,” said Sadeqi. “Turkmen tourists visit Iran for various purposes, including leisure, trade, religious tourism, and sometimes even medical treatment. Iran’s Embassy in Ashgabat, along with our consulate in Merv, facilitates the visa process for Turkmen tourists and continually strives, through relevant organizations in Iran, to simplify and facilitate travel for Turkmen visitors within Iran.”
Sadeqi further noted that many Iranian tourists are eager to explore Turkmenistan and its beautiful city, Ashgabat.
He also mentioned that recent months have seen an increase in Iranian tourists visiting Turkmenistan.
He expressed hope that this festival, by bringing Iranian and Turkmen tourism companies together and promoting cooperation between them, will lead to a significant increase in tourism exchange between the two countries.
Gulshat Bakieva, deputy head of the Tourism Department of Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Culture, emphasized the growth and development of friendly relations between Turkmenistan and foreign countries, especially in the tourism sector, due to the efforts of the president of Turkmenistan.
She stressed that Turkmenistan’s focus on international cooperation, in line with the principle of neutrality, extends to the field of tourism.
She noted that tourism is a crucial factor in economic growth for any country, and Turkmenistan is actively engaged in a wide range of activities to promote the tourism sector.
Regarding the festival, Bakieva said that she hoped it will pave the way for closer tourism exchange between the two countries, emphasizing the cultural similarities and geographical proximity of Ashgabat to the holy city of Mashhad in Iran.
She expressed optimism that improved visa issuance procedures, with invitations valid for a minimum of 25 to 30 days, will lead to a great increase in the number of Iranian tourists visiting Turkmenistan.
Representing the private sector participating in the exhibition, Mohsen Ahmadi stated, “Due to the fact that both Iran and Turkmenistan are located on the historic Silk Road route, the two countries have been actively cooperating in the field of tourism for a long time.”
Navid Rasouli, Iran’s cultural attaché in Turkmenistan, described this event as the first joint tourism and handicrafts festival between Iran and Turkmenistan.
He highlighted the current average of 200 travelers per day from Turkmenistan to Iran, mostly motivated by medical treatment, shopping, and tourism.
Rasouli underlined the necessity of strengthening mutual understanding between the people of both countries to boost tourism activities.
Turkmen tourism companies aim to use their participation in the event to enhance tourism relations between the two countries to pre-pandemic levels.
Around 10 Iranian tourism, handicrafts, and health-related companies are participating in the exhibition.