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Turkmenistan's ruler invited President Dmitry Medvedev to a desert auto rally as the Central Asian nation seeks to mend ties with Russia frayed during a dispute over energy.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov extended the invitation to attend the Kazan-Ashgabat Rally during a phone call with Medvedev on Tuesday, according to the Turkmen government web site. Medvedev called to congratulate Berdymukhammedov on his birthday.
Berdymukhammedov said he would like Medvedev to attend the September finish of the 4,500-kilometer, eight-day rally that begins in Tatarstan, crosses Kazakhstan and ends in the Turkmen capital.
The race will be the "biggest sports competition of world significance," according to the web site of the Turkmen State Committee on Tourism and Sport.
Medvedev Invited to Turkmen Car Rally
02 July 2009
Bloomberg
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