ASHGABAT (Turkmenistan.ru) — Staff of the Russian Embassy in Turkmenistan, teachers and students of the Turkmen-Russian school A.S. Pushkin laid flowers at the monument to Alexander Pushkin in Ashgabat to celebrate Russian Language Day.

The monument was designed by engineer Butuzov and sculptor Berto. It was erected in the Turkmen capital in 1911, and is currently the oldest monument of the city.

The flower-laying ceremony was followed by a festive event at the Turkmen-Russian school A.S. Pushkin. In the school’s meeting room, the senior students read excerpts from the works of the poet and other authors about Pushkin himself, professional artists performed romances on Pushkin’s verses. All the artists received commemorative gifts at the end of the event.

At the conclusion of the celebration, diplomats, teachers, schoolchildren and guests laid flowers at the Alexander Pushkin Monument in the school hall. The bronze statue of the poet was donated to the Turkmen-Russian school by the famous Turkmen sculptor Nurmukhammet Ataev last autumn.