The National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made a working trip to the city of Arkadag, where he visited a modern stable designed for keeping Ahalteke horses. There, the Hero-Arkadag talked with a member of the International Association of Ahalteke Horse Breeding, Director of the horse breeding company Jakob Pferdezucht GbR Katharina-Irena Anna-Margaretha Jakob (Federal Republic of Germany). On the same day, the National Leader of the Turkmen people met with athletes of the Arkadag Football Club.
Upon arrival at the territory of the stable, Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is a true expert and connoisseur of “paradise” horses, met with a member of the International Association of Ahalteke Horse Breeding, Director of the horse breeding company Jakob Pferdezucht GbR Katharina-Irena Anna-Margaretha Jakob (Germany). The guest came to our country to participate in celebrations in honour of the “winged” horses, to discuss and exchange experiences on issues of international cooperation in the field of Ahalteke horse breeding.

During the conversation, the National Leader of the Turkmen people thanked the guest for her active participation in the festive events and noted that Ahalteke horses were the fruit of the painstaking work of our wise ancestors, their unsurpassed art passed on from generation to generation. Turkmenistan has created all the conditions for raising “heavenly” horses and preserving their whole blood. In this case, local natural features and a favourable climate are important factors.
In Turkmenistan, the development of horse breeding and the widespread popularisation of its centuries-old traditions in the world are given great importance at the state level.
The Director of the horse breeding company Jakob Pferdezucht GbR expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Hero-Arkadag and the President of Turkmenistan for the hospitality shown in the Turkmen land and for the high level of the organisation of festive events, including international forums. As Katharina-Irena Anna-Margaretha Jakob emphasised, it was a great honour for specialists, who had chosen horse breeding as their life’s work, to take part in celebrations held in the homeland of Ahalteke horses.
The guest noted she had long been interested in horse breeding, and the Ahalteke horses were very close to her. As Katharina-Irena Anna-Margaretha Jakob said, she was happy that she had the opportunity to be in the homeland of “winged” horses and to see with her own eyes purebred Ahalteke horses.
During the conversation, the dynamic nature of Turkmen-German cooperation, developing along an ascending line and including a wide range of areas, was also highlighted. At the same time, great importance is attached to interaction in the field of horse breeding. In this context, the Hero-Arkadag mentioned that during his visit to the Federal Republic of Germany in April the year before, he had visited the Horse Breeding Complex, where he had become familiar with the characteristics of the horses raised there.
The National Leader of the Turkmen people noted the foundation of the International Association of Ahalteke Horse Breeding with headquarters in Ashgabat had made it possible to expand effective cooperation in that area. The admission of representatives from different countries into the Association contributes to the intensification of international partnership in this sphere.
The Hero-Arkadag also emphasised the contribution to increasing the world fame of Ahalteke horses by Katharina-Irena Anna-Margaretha Jakob. The awards of Turkmenistan presented to her are evidence of the high appreciation of her activity.
Expressing sincere gratitude to the National Leader of the Turkmen people, the Director of the horse breeding company Jakob Pferdezucht GbR stressed she considered it a matter of honour and life’s credo to make a worthy contribution to large-scale activities aimed at further increasing the glory of Ahalteke horses, the elite of world horse breeding.
Then, the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov arrived at the stadium of the Multidisciplinary Sports Complex in the city of Arkadag. Football players of FC Arkadag conduct their training there. The Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan observed the training process of athletes making efforts to improve their skills and to increase the prestige of Turkmen sports.
The creation of a new city football team in 2023, on the initiative of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, is known to have become an important event in the sporting life of the country. In the first year of its existence, the team achieved impressive success. FC Arkadag became the champion of Turkmenistan in football and won the Turkmenistan Cup.
After asking about the mood of the football players and the financial support of the team, the Hero-Arkadag emphasised the state would continue to make every effort to develop domestic sports, including football, and to bring it to the world level. It was also noted that the victory of FC Arkadag in the championship of Turkmenistan had become a significant event in sports life of the country.
Emphasising that in the city of Arkadag, all the opportunities for the effective training, comfortable life and recreation of athletes had been created, the football players expressed deep gratitude to the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, assuring that, for their part, they would do their best to increase the authority of the Turkmen sports.
Noting that in Turkmenistan, a country of health and inspiration, comprehensive work was being carried out to bring domestic sports and its various kinds to a high international level, the Hero-Arkadag expressed confidence that the football players would make every effort to achieve new victories at tournaments.
At the end of the meeting, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov wished those present every success and left the venue.