The President of Turkmenistan received Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) who had arrived in Ashgabat to perform the special mission - to award Avicenna Prize to Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The guest noted that this award was presented to the leader of Turkmenistan for an outstanding contribution to development of the national culture, preservation of the cultural and historical monument and enhancement cooperation with UNESCO.

Thanking for the honour given Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov said that he regarded this award as high evaluation of Turkmenistan''s policy prioritizing revival, preservation and propagation of the unique cultural heritage of the Turkmen people. In this regard the President focused on the significance attached by Turkmenistan to partnership with UNESCO as the largest international organisation working to promote global cooperation in the spheres of education, science and culture. The Turkmen leader said that close collaboration with UNESCO was a major aspect of Turkmenistan-UN strategic partnership aimed at strengthening peace, security and achieving global progress.

Reaffirming the mutual commitment to expand comprehensively and enhance fruitful cooperation resulted in successfully completing a number of the joint projects the sides exchanged views on the further way to intensify it in compliance with the UNESCO priorities and the national development programmes. Highly appreciating the grandiose scale of the ongoing reforms the head of the UN agency emphasized that UNESCO stood ready to maintain constructive cooperation with the Government of Turkmenistan in reforming the national education system as well that had gained the impressive achievements. In this regard the guest invited the Turkmen delegation to take part in the coming high-level conference on education which would be held in Paris this July.

Touching upon the other priority trend in partnership - preservation of the unique cultural monuments Koichiro Matsuura emphasized that the real achievements proved by inscribing three historical and architectural monuments of Turkmenistan - Nisa, Anceint Merv and Kunya Urgench on the UNESCO''s World Heritage List had been gained in this field. The guest said that there was every requisite to extend this prestigious register by inscribing other unique manmade and natural monuments that the Turkmen land was rich in. In this context Mr. Koichiro Matsuura informed the President that Turkmenistan''s proposals including inscribing the greatest desert on the continent - the Karakum Desert on the World Heritage List were under active consideration.