U.S. help to Turkmenistan in restoration of old books

16:21, 26 September 2009

ASTANA. September 26. KAZINFORM The U.S. government has allocated a grant to Turkmenistan's National Library for the conservation and restoration of rare and valuable books. The grant will help the National Library with the conservation and restoration of nearly 50,000 rare and valuable books from the 16th-19th centuries, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Ashgabat reported.

These books represent massive portions of Turkmenistan's literary treasures, and preserving them will enable generations of Turkmens to continue enjoying the wisdom of their heritage, the same source added.

U.S. Chargé d'Affaires, Sylvia Curran attended the ceremony to award a grant to Turkmenistan's National Library.

Curran emphasized that "annually, this is a highly-competitive, global competition with U.S. Embassies all over the world, submitting proposals for Washington's approval. Historically, Turkmenistan has had many successful proposals for outstanding projects, and this year's group of proposals was no exception."

The grant is part of a global program to preserve the culture, entitled "U.S. Ambassador Fund for Cultural Preservation." To date, the fund has supported more than five hundred projects worldwide, totaling more than 13.4 million U.S. dollars; Kazinform cites Trend News.

See www.en.trend.az for full version.

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