Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Visits the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the World Championship of Akhal-Teke Horse Beauty

Peelbergen Equestrian Centre, Kronenberg, Province of Limburg — 4–6 September 2026

Known as the "Soul of the Turkmen People" and the "Heavenly Horse," the Akhal-Teke — one of the oldest and most distinctive purebred breeds on Earth, celebrated for its metallic coat sheen, endurance and proud temperament — was the centerpiece of three days combining elite equestrian sport, scientific exchange and Turkmen cultural heritage.

The visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands by the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty and National Leader of the Turkmen people, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, gave the championship exceptional weight.

As part of the events surrounding the championship, the Dutch-language edition of his book"The Horse: A Symbol of Faithfulness and Happiness" was formally presented in Kronenberg on 4 September, in the presence of Turkmen scientists, academics, diplomats and international horse breeders — with opening remarks by Allaberdy Ashirov, President of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, and contributions from Sapar Palvanov, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Belgium, and ATHA President Marian Weltevreden.

A Podium Crowned by a French breeder

The beauty crown of the championship went to Yandym, owned by French breeder Audrey Martinez of the CaratKoum stud farm — a result that underlined how far the Akhal-Teke's admirers now stretch beyond Central Asia, with dedicated European breeding lines in France contributing directly to the global prestige of the breed.

High-Level Guests, from The Hague to Limburg

The championship drew an unusually high-level Dutch and international guest list. Attendees included Jan Peter Balkenende, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2002–2010) and, since October 2022, a Minister of State (Minister van Staat) — an honorary title reserved for senior statesmen — alongside Emile Roemer, King's Commissioner for the Province of Limburg, Ryan Palmen, Mayor of the Municipality of Horst aan de Maas, and Marian Weltevreden, President of ATHA. Ambassadors from across Central Asia and beyond were also present, including ambassadors of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Türkiye to the Benelux and the Netherlands — reflecting the championship's role as a genuine diplomatic crossroads. The event's international resonance was further amplified by 50 accredited journalists representing outlets such as Al Jazeera, EU Reporter, Wanderlust Magazine, The Europe Today, Diplomat Magazine and Global Tourism Forum.

The programme itself unfolded over three days: beauty and dressage trials for young horses on 4 September, an international scientific-practical conference on Akhal-Teke breeding and Turkmen equestrian art held at the Asteria Hotel in Venray, and the crowning of the World Champion horse alongside a Best Decorated Horse competition and gala evening on the main event day.

Fireworks Under the Turkmen Flag

The three-day championship reached its emotional peak on the final evening with a gala dinner followed by a fireworks display over the Peelbergen grounds — a spectacular closing tribute in which pyrotechnic displays traced the silhouette of a galloping horse alongside the colors of the Turkmen flag lighting up the Limburg sky. The symbolism was far from incidental: 2026 also marks the 35th anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence, a milestone the country is celebrating throughout the year under the official motto "Independent, Permanently Neutral Turkmenistan – Homeland of Purposeful Winged Horses," a designation adopted by the Mejlis (Parliament) specifically to honor both the nation's sovereignty and its cherished Akhal-Teke horses. Fittingly, then, the closing night in Kronenberg fused two threads of Turkmen national pride — the "heavenly horse" and 35 years of independence — into a single, luminous celebration that brought the championship's cultural-diplomacy mission full circle, closing the European chapter of the anniversary year on a note of light, color and shared festivity between Turkmenistan and its Dutch hosts.

Cultural Diplomacy

The championship did not emerge in a vacuum: it was underpinned by intensive bilateral diplomacy in the Dutch capital just one day before the opening ceremony. On 3 September 2026, Turkmenistan's Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rashid Meredov, met in The Hague with his Dutch counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen. The two ministers reviewed the steady progress of Turkmen-Dutch relations and explored deeper cooperation in shipbuilding, port infrastructure, agriculture, energy and diplomatic training through the Clingendael Institute — while explicitly welcoming the organization of the Akhal-Teke championship as a marker of cultural and public rapprochement between the two countries according to the official sources.

Later that same day, Meredov also met with Christoffer Jonker, Adviser on Foreign Affairs and Defense to the Dutch Prime Minister, where the two sides discussed intensifying political contacts within the Turkmenistan–EU framework, expanding Dutch business participation in Turkmen infrastructure and healthcare projects, and — once again — highlighted the equestrian championship in Limburg as a symbol of the countries' shared interest in horse culture and a catalyst for broader social ties.

A Cultural Symbol Bigger Than a Competition

Taken together, the diplomatic talks in The Hague and the championship in Kronenberg formed a single, coherent narrative: horses as instruments of cultural diplomacy. For Turkmenistan, a country whose foreign policy rests on the pillar of permanent neutrality, the Akhal-Teke — inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023 — offered a soft, universally admired vector through which to deepen engagement with a European partner. For the Netherlands, hosting the first-ever edition of this championship on European soil was both an honor and an opportunity to strengthen commercial and institutional ties with Ashgabat.

As Peelbergen's arenas emptied and the golden horses began their journeys home, the message from Kronenberg was unambiguous: in an era when hard diplomacy can often stall, the shimmering coat of the Akhal-Teke proved, once again, capable of bringing presidents, ministers, ambassadors and breeders from four continents to the same field.