President of Turkmenistan Received the Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe

Yesterday, Honorable President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received Hans Kluge, the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, who arrived in our country on a visit.

Expressing sincere gratitude for the opportunity to meet, the guest presented the Head of State with a special WHO award "For contribution to promoting peace, unity, and diplomacy in healthcare" as a sign of recognition for Turkmenistan's consistent efforts to develop peace, solidarity, and international cooperation, as well as strengthening health diplomacy in partnership with the WHO and the UN. He also cordially congratulated Arkadagly Hero Serdar on Turkmenistan's chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2026 and the declaration of this year as the "Year of Healthcare" within the CIS.

Thanking him for the kind words, the Honorable President noted that he accepts this award as a recognition by the World Health Organization of the high assessment of the work and results achieved in the country's healthcare system. The Head of State also expressed confidence that the workshop titled "High-Level Dialogue on Global Health Diplomacy," which Hans Kluge will attend during his visit to Turkmenistan, will be an important opportunity to discuss the state of cooperation and exchange views in the healthcare sector.

As noted during the meeting, Turkmenistan attaches special importance to developing cooperation with authoritative international organizations, primarily the United Nations and its specialized agencies, including the World Health Organization. Protecting public health is a key task of the country's state policy. In this regard, large-scale reforms for the comprehensive improvement of the national healthcare system are being consistently implemented. In accordance with the "Saglyk" State Program, effective work on disease prevention, detection, and treatment has been established. Modern health centers equipped with advanced innovative technologies, specialized hospitals, and the Arkadag medical cluster are being built in the country.

Measures to promote a healthy lifestyle, develop physical culture and sports, healthy nutrition, and combat tobacco use are also being successfully implemented in Turkmenistan. In this direction, the WHO is a reliable and long-term partner of our country. In this regard, the Head of State confirmed the readiness of the Turkmen side to further expand cooperation with the WHO based on established positive experience.

At the end of the meeting, Honorable President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, Hans Kluge, exchanged their best wishes.