President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is on vacation on the Caspian coast, got acquainted with the preparations for the International rally "Amul-Khazar 2018", having inspected the progress of the work carried out at the final stage of the motor racing track.
On July 11, 2018, early in the morning, the head of state arrived at the start of the final stretch of the route of the upcoming rally.
Here the head of state was met by representatives of the media. After welcoming the media, the head of state stressed the international importance of the upcoming competitions. Being an important historical event in the life of the country, the rally "Amul-Khazar 2018" also testifies to the growing authority of the country on the world arena. In continuation of the topic, the President of Turkmenistan, with the help of the route map of the rally, spoke about the specifics and the most difficult sections of the route, noting the natural and landscape specificity of its stages in each of the regions on which it lies.
Then the head of state answered the journalists' questions. The first question concerned the significance of the rally and its relationship with the sport policy in Turkmenistan, which our people are rightly proud of.
As President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted, we will continue to work to ensure that every citizen of the country conducts a healthy lifestyle. Our achievements in the sports sphere raise the international prestige of the Motherland, to which we all are witnesses. The Turkmens are a friendly, peaceful people, and they know it on all continents. Last year in Ashgabat, at the highest level, the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games were held, which in scope can be compared to the Olympic Games. Asiada-2017 caused a wide resonance in the world. I believe that a physically healthy generation is our future, it should make a significant contribution to the large-scale reforms deployed in the country, the Turkmen leader stressed.
Answering a question about the route of the rally, including, through the golden sandy vastnesses of the Karakum desert, and whether the head of state had already traveled along it, the Turkmen leader noted that for him it was a new road. As President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said, being both a theorist and a practitioner, he first studies the way in detail in order to find the best solutions for overcoming it. Through the route map, the head of state explained the difficulties of this stage of the route, resulting from the natural features of the terrain. The path runs along the Caspian coast and has several difficult turns, one of which is at the finish. Figuratively speaking, one wheel should be in the sea, and another - in the sands. It is necessary to pass a distance of 18 kilometers. In a word, everything will become clear directly on the road.
The next question concerned the new car presented here. At the same time, it was stressed that the people of Turkmenistan genuinely admire the masterly skill of the leader of the nation in the management of racing cars and take an example from him, as evidenced by the numerous calls and letters received by the media.
In this regard, the head of state once again noted that before making the appropriate conclusions, it is necessary to study in detail all the characteristics of this car, sent from Germany. It participated in the rally "Dakar" and won two or three times the first place.
Answering the question about the idea of creating its own high-speed SUV design, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that, having tested his car in the conditions of the sand, he realized that there are some technical problems that should be corrected. First, the engine under our weather is very hot, which means that we need to improve the cooling system, which will protect the motor from overheating. Secondly, there was something to be invented in order that the wheels were not bogged down in the sand. As the head of state said, taking into account his technical requirements, the judges found that the car is not yet ready to enter the race distance. But it will be withdrawn in a month or a half, since its potential turned out to be very good. After all, while creating the first drawings of a new design of a high-speed SUV capable of rapidly overcoming our sands, all important parameters were taken into account - the complexity of the terrain, the trajectory of the route, etc. After all the arithmetic and geometric calculations and technical improvements, a car adapted to desert roads will be ready.
The next issue of journalists concerned the topic of the active nature of the holiday of the head of state. Even now, despite the vacation, the President of Turkmenistan combines rest with public affairs, devotes all his time to caring for the people, sport, youth, and the future of the country. Every day and hour the Turkmen feel the effectiveness of the policy "The state is for the people", adding new pages to the chronicle of the Motherland.
As President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted, a person should always be in motion - it is necessary to have a rest, work and do business. Only in this case life becomes interesting. Turkmens are a wise, hardworking, sensible people. It's not for nothing that they put together a proverb: "Whoever gets up early will do all the work." A person must be accustomed to work from a young age, then his life will be whole and interesting, he will know the price. For example, we went to the village as a child, loved to work early in the morning with a shovel in our hands, digging up and loosening the ground. I think that the ability to work well and rest well is a great happiness, President said.
In the next issue of media representatives, the theme of the international significance of the rally "Amul-Khazar 2018", which was preceded by the 2009 Kazan-Ashgabat motor racing, as well as the continuity of these sporting events, was again touched upon.
Speaking about the difference between the upcoming rally and other international analogues, including the Dakar series, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed that Turkmenistan first of all attached importance to the policy of "open doors" and the ecological aspect, which directly linked the country's development strategy, including its industrialization plans. The project of construction of a new plant for the production of synthetic gasoline - the cleanest from the point of view of ecology fuel used in cars - was aimed at achieving the goal of ensuring ecological well-being.
Now great importance is also attached to electronics. Therefore, the head of state continued, it takes time to test how electric vehicles will show their specificity in the arid zone, especially in Turkmenistan. As the head of state noted, he had already spoken about the need for specialized scientific and technological research, the results of which we could apply in practice in the conditions of our country. The future is for the environment, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized, expressing confidence that, from this point of view, the holding of the Amul-Khazar 2018 rally is intended to once again confirm the importance of linking the environmental factor with all kinds of events, including international motor sport competitions. By the way, the forthcoming competitions are called eco-rally-raids, which speak for themselves.
This is seen as relevant in the light of the Turkmen leader's initiative to include the Karakum Desert in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In this context, the issue of ecological well-being and improvement of the biosphere of the Caspian Sea, which will be discussed at the Summit of the Caspian states, scheduled for August 12, is also significant. And here it should be noted that our rally is finishing on the shore of the Caspian Sea, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said.
