Turkmenistan Celebrates Italian Language Week with Culture, Song, and Scholarship

The 25th annual Week of the Italian Language in the World has been held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, drawing educators, students, and cultural advocates to celebrate the vitality and global influence of the Italian language.

This year’s theme, “Italophony: A Language Without Borders,” underscores the cultural reach and universality of the language, The Caspian Post reports via Turkmen media.

As part of a global initiative held in dozens of countries, the Turkmenistan edition opened at the International University for the Humanities and Development (IUHD) and the Dovletmammed Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages. The ceremonies were attended by Carmelo Leo, Trade Attaché of the Italian Embassy in Turkmenistan; Professor Francesco Giammoni, an Italian and Turkic languages scholar from the University of Cyprus; and local Italian language instructors.

The opening day featured a rich program of lectures, musical and poetic performances in both Turkmen and Italian, and discussions. Graduates from Italy’s University of Perugia shared their experience studying abroad and emphasized how proficiency in Italian has advanced their academic and professional paths.

Over the course of the week, lectures, workshops, and thematic sessions will take place at institutions including the Turkmen State Institute of Architecture and Construction, Magtymguly Turkmen State University, and the private Gujurly Bilim Merkezi educational center.

The event will culminate with the inauguration of a CELI Certification Center within the Arkaç shopping and entertainment complex. Supported by the University of Perugia, this center will administer CELI exams, an internationally recognized certification of Italian language proficiency.

Organized with support from the Italian Embassy in Ashgabat, the Week of the Italian Language seeks to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation between Turkmenistan and Italy, while promoting multilingualism, global exchange, and people-to-people connections.