The Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Charitable Foundation for Assistance to Children in Need of Guardianship, located in the city of Arkadag, hosted a festive event associated with a thank-you message from Ukraine. This fund was created on the initiative of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan.
In March of this year, the Charitable Foundation sent humanitarian aid to Ukrainian children, following the principles of humanism and good neighborliness of the Turkmen people. This is evidence that Turkmenistan strives to provide support and assistance to those who need it.
The event was attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, members of the Board of the Charitable Foundation, the Hakim of the city of Arkadag, heads of the media, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Turkmenistan.
Such information was published in the newspaper “Neutral Turkmenistan”. The state media does not publish more detailed data. This may be alarming, because what could be wrong with helping the population suffering from war?
However, more details can be found on the website of the Embassy of Ukraine in Turkmenistan. It is reported that back in March of this year, the Berdymukhamedov Children’s Fund transferred 19 tons of humanitarian aid totaling 600 thousand dollars. Among other things – medicines, medical supplies, children’s clothing, food, etc.
Already in July, during a meeting with the top officials of Turkmenistan, Ambassador Viktor Maiko handed over letters of thanks and diplomas from Ukrainians – both from children, parents, and doctors who received humanitarian aid.
The key thing is that help is always noble and good, and Ukrainians are grateful for the support. However, the Turkmen people may have a completely different question – how much was “stolen” under the guise of assisting Ukraine? For comparison, in 2023, Azerbaijan also provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, moreover, for almost the same amount – 800 thousand dollars. However, the total weight turned out to be many times more – 52 tons. Of course, everything depends on the content, but can there be such a big difference?
The problem also lies in the fact that this is not the first example of providing humanitarian assistance to Turkmenistan to others. So Ashgabat sent 130 mattresses to Turkey to help the victims after the earthquake. Of course, any help will not be superfluous, but such insignificant amounts look like mockery. How can we not recall the legend of the ancient Greek poet Tirtheus, whom Athens sent to the Spartans to help during the war as a mockery? However, the moral of the story is that the last Tirtey still helped to win.
