Kronenberg / Venray, Kingdom of the Netherlands, 4 September 2026 — Today the International Scientific and Practical Conference titled “Akhalteke Horse: The Turkmen Art of World-Class Horse Breeding” opened in the Netherlands, held as part of the World Beauty Championship and Equestrian Sports Competition among the Heavenly Akhalteke Horses, taking place in the city of Kronenberg from 4 to 6 September 2026. The scientific forum was held in the conference hall of Hotel Asteria in the city of Venray.
Mr. Georgi Agafonov, Chairman of the Bulgarian-Turkmenistan Industrial and Trade Chamber (BTITC), attended the conference and took part with a report presenting the Bulgarian perspective on the subject.
About the Conference
The conference opened with an introductory session (15:00–16:00), followed by work in thematic sessions (16:15–17:30) across five main sections: the history and development of the Akhalteke breed; the significance of the inclusion of Akhalteke horse breeding art and horse decoration traditions in the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity; Akhalteke horses in fine and applied arts; breeding and veterinary practices in purebred Akhalteke horse breeding and the genetic and scientific foundations for preserving breed purity; and the influence of Akhalteke horses on global equestrian culture, history, and breeding. The forum concluded with a summary and closing session (18:00–18:30).
Immediately before the scientific conference, in the same hall of Hotel Asteria, the presentation of the Dutch edition of the book “A Horse – A Symbol of Faithfulness and Happiness” by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, also took place.
The Report by the Chairman of BTITC
In his address, titled “The Akhalteke Horse as a Cultural Ambassador and a Bridge of Economic Diplomacy: A View from Bulgaria,” Mr. Agafonov — who, besides chairing BTITC, is also a member of the Akhalteke Horse Association and founder of the Foundation “Friends of the Akhalteke Horse” (ahal-teke.org) — emphasized the shared equestrian cultural heritage of Bulgaria and Turkmenistan. He recalled that the Madara Rider, carved into rock more than twelve centuries ago and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is one of Bulgaria’s national symbols, which makes Bulgaria’s interest in the Akhalteke breed a natural one.
The speaker presented the work of the Foundation “Friends of the Akhalteke Horse,” whose goal is to bring together admirers of the breed in Bulgaria, promote it in Bulgaria and Southeast Europe, maintain contacts with Turkmen colleagues, and introduce the Bulgarian public — especially young people — to the history of the breed and the art of Turkmen horse training (“seisçilik”).
Mr. Agafonov outlined four concrete directions for future cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkmenistan: cultural and educational (exhibitions, Turkmen culture days, and breed presentations in Bulgaria with the participation of Turkmen horse trainers); scientific (contacts between Bulgarian and Turkmen specialists in horse breeding, veterinary medicine, and the preservation of genetic resources of rare breeds); sports and tourism (incorporating the Akhalteke theme into equestrian tourism programs and the breed’s participation in European sporting and exhibition events with Bulgarian support); and economic, underlining BTITC’s readiness to serve as a practical instrument for turning these ideas into contracts, projects, and joint ventures.