The President drove from the airport in Mary to the Gurbanguly Haji mosque, located in in the centre of the town, where the Turkmen leader gave a sadaqah – agzachar on the occasion of the holy month of Oraza. The mosque, opened with assistance of the leader of Turkmenistan in 2009, is named Gurbanguly Haji in honour of the President of Turkmenistan, who had provided active support to the construction of the mosque, at the request of local citizens. The Mufti of Turkmenistan, imams from the regions and Ashgabat, the honorary elders from the capital and regions of the country, Chairperson of Mejlis, cabinet ministers, heads of military and law enforcement agencies and hyakims of the regions and Ashgabat greeted the Turkmen leader at the entrance to the mosque. Warmly greeting those present and thanking them for the cordial welcome, the President talked to the elders about the conditions of life and work of local citizens, their everyday concerns, problems and plans and the measures taken to address major social and economic issues in the region. After the religious ritual had been performed, the President continued his conversation with the elders about the current situation in villages, the effectiveness of the measures taken to address social and domestic issues, allocation of land plots for construction of houses, on-going agricultural activities, provision of loans and gas, drinking and electric power supply in the region. The Turkmen leader asked the elders about on-going construction work on social facilities, including schools, kindergartens and hospitals, education and employment opportunities of young people, consulting the elders what else should be done in these spheres. Noting that the special commission was considering numerous proposals from citizens of our country for the improvement of the Basic Law of Turkmenistan, the President requested that the elders give valuable advice and submit their recommendations that would certainly be taken into consideration when drafting the new Constitution. Dwelling on the on-going work on the development of the national health care system, the President noted that this year had marked the 20th anniversary of the Saglyk State Programme. Since the adoption of the Programme, much work has been done to improve the health of citizens, establish the principles of a healthy lifestyle in the society and implement the drastic reforms so as to bring the national health care system to a global level. The Turkmen leader invited the elders to recreate and improve their health at sanatoria in Bairamali, Avaza and other health promotion centres throughout the country. Talking to aksakals, the President noted that there were the holy places in Mary associated with Alp Arslan, Sultan Sanjar and other world-known personalities. There are many ancient monuments and sanctuaries of the centuries-old history of our people in the region which will be interesting to visit and go on a pilgrimage to. Touching upon the meeting of the Elders’ Council, which will be held in the Avaza national tourism zone this year, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that the preparations for the meeting should start as soon as possible and the proposals and the issues, if any, to be put on the agenda of the meeting should be submitted to the Elders’ Council for consideration. The President dwelt on the 20th anniversary of neutrality of Turkmenistan and the implementation of the action plan for the Year of Neutrality and Peace declared this year in Turkmenistan, inviting the elders to participate in the celebrations. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov focused on the important contribution made by the esteemed elders to strengthen the unity of the nation and promote education of patriotism in young citizens and thanked them for their activities and wished them good health and many years of a prosperous and happy life. The President of Turkmenistan continues his working visit to Mary Velayat.