On September 22, 2025, at the State Library of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan, the grand opening of the Ukrainian Bookshelf took place — a landmark cultural initiative aimed at strengthening humanitarian ties between Ukraine and Turkmenistan.
This opening became a symbolic gift on the eve of the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. The Ukrainian Bookshelf has become another spiritual “island of Ukraine” in Ashgabat — alongside the monuments to Taras Shevchenko and Hryhorii Skovoroda, which have long been favorite places for the Ukrainian community and friends of Ukraine in Turkmenistan.
The shelf contains Ukrainian works of fiction, journalism, and cultural studies. Among the presented books are Kaidashev Family by Ivan Nechuy-Levytskyi, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors by Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi, A Short History of Ukrainian Borshch, and other publications that introduce readers to the Ukrainian language, literature, and culture. It is no coincidence that among them is a book about Ukrainian borshch, which in 2022 was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
This new cultural space will be useful not only to library visitors, but also to students of the Sunday School at the Embassy of Ukraine, members of the Ukrainian Conversation Club, and graduates of Ukrainian universities — more than 18,000 of whom have studied over the years of independence. The Ukrainian Bookshelf is a bridge of memory and friendship that connects generations, national traditions, and shared values. It is a place that inspires people to recall their years of study in Ukraine and to deepen their knowledge of our culture, literature, and traditions.
During the opening ceremony, Chargé d’Affaires of Ukraine in Turkmenistan Petro Makarenko thanked the Turkmen side for the humanitarian assistance provided, in particular to Ukrainian children during the war, and expressed sincere gratitude for Turkmenistan’s consistent support of Ukraine within UNESCO, the effective implementation of large-scale economic projects, and the steady dialogue in the field of education. An agreement was also reached to organize a tour of the library for Sunday School students, which will mark another step in deepening cultural exchange between our peoples.
This project has become an important component of the consistent public cultural diplomacy of the Embassy of Ukraine in Turkmenistan. Together with such initiatives as the Ukrainian Film Week in Ashgabat, lectures by Ukrainian scholars at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, and cultural events of the Sunday School and Conversation Club, the opening of the Bookshelf contributes to strengthening Ukraine’s positive image, developing people-to-people contacts, and promoting Ukrainian culture in the region.
We are sincerely grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan for their comprehensive support, assistance, and effective cooperation in the implementation of this project.
Special thanks go to the leadership of the State Library of Turkmenistan, in particular to its director, Lachin Shamuradovna Nurmukhammedova, for her active participation in the realization of this initiative and openness to cultural partnership.
The project Ukrainian Bookshelf is being implemented around the world under the patronage of the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communication of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Book Institute. As the First Lady of Ukraine emphasized: “Books, like our entire culture, are our support. A book gives us back the feeling of home, introduces us to the world, and introduces the world to us.