On May 18, 2018, the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov visited Astrakhan Region.
On arrival in the city of Astrakhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredov met with the Governor of the Astrakhan Region A. Zhilkin. During the meeting, the sides discussed cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, transport, shipbuilding, education and science. It was stressed that in recent years relations between the two countries have been developing actively not only in the federal but also in the regional format and the Astrakhan region occupies a special place in it.
On the same day, a solemn ceremony of opening a new school in the village of Funtovo of the Municipal formation "Privolzhsky District" of the Astrakhan region was held.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Astrakhan Region A. Zhilkin, State Secretary-Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation G. Karasin, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation P.Zenkovich, representatives of the Astrakhan regional branch of the “Yedinaya Rossia” party and the regional Duma, as well as the official delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov. Representatives of the Humanitarian Association of Turkmens of the World, representatives of the Turkmen Diaspora, Turkmen students studying in the universities of the region, representatives of the Russian and Turkmen mass media also participated in the festivities.
The construction of the school in Funtovo began in March 2016 on the initiative of the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The educational institution will bear the name of the Turkmen poet, classic of world literature Makhtumkuli Fragi. The school is fully built by the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan. To this end, the best experts in the construction industry were sent from Turkmenistan to Astrakhan, construction materials were delivered by a passenger transport ferry across the Caspian Sea.
The place for the new school is not chosen randomly. The village of Funtovo is home to the largest Turkmen Diaspora in the Astrakhan region. The school building is a 2-storey educational complex with a total area of over 3, 5 thousand square meters and is designed for 190 pupils. It has spacious modern classrooms, laboratories, all conditions for sport and creativity.
