President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited the CIS National Culinary Festival in the city of Turkmenbashi on October 8.

Operativ Media reports that the CIS National Culinary Festival is being held as part of events organized in connection with Turkmenistan's chairmanship of the organization in 2026. Eight countries are represented at the festival.

Jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture and the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a two-part national pavilion has been set up at the festival venue. The culinary section of the pavilion showcases Azerbaijan's national cuisine and rich gastronomic traditions. It features local plants, fruits, grains, nuts, and other products unique to various regions of the country, alongside Azerbaijan's tea culture tradition, which is inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The second part of the pavilion features carpet weaving, kelaghayi (traditional silk headscarves), coppersmithing, wood carving, and ceramic arts. This section also recreates the interior of a 19th-century Karabakh house, based on an exhibition by the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum.

Azerbaijani music, including mugham performed by young khanandas (folk singers), was also performed at the pavilion.

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An official reception and a concert program were also hosted today in Turkmenbashi on behalf of President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

President Ilham Aliyev attended the event.