Year of Culture in CIS action plan to be approved at Kyrgyzstan meeting
Proposals to the document were presented by eight states: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and also the International Delphic Committee and Lomonosov Moscow State University.
The plan will include 87 events of the international and national level. They are designed to promote the organization of joint cultural events, the creation of conditions to popularize common humanitarian values of the peoples of the CIS member states and respect to culture, language and traditions of other nations, preservation and development of the historical and cultural heritage, the use of the potential of the civil society for the expansion of cultural cooperation, development of art education and promotion of research in the cultural area, improvement of the legal framework of cultural cooperation.
Another matter the CIS Cultural Cooperation Council plans to discuss is the CIS ART EXPO in 2018. The forum will be a so-called review of the CIS achievements in the area of culture and art, a venue to present the most significant cultural events in cinematography, theater, music and fine arts, printed and electronic products, and also projects, achievements and events implemented by the member states within the previous year. The exhibition will contribute to the establishment of cultural ties and the signing of interstate agreements on possible cooperation in culture.
The objective of ART EXPO is to preserve and develop national cultures, promote cultural diversity and strengthen the interstate dialogue, expand the market of cultural products and implement youth innovative cultural projects.
The exhibition will be held annually in each CIS member state on a rota basis. The first ART EXPO will be hosted by Armenia. The event will be held in the city of Goris which holds the CIS Capital of Culture 2018 status.
The council is expected to discuss 16 issues. Representatives of the CIS countries will hear a report on Kyrgyzstan's state policy in culture, take stock of the progress made in the implementation of the CIS action plan on cultural cooperation for 2016-2020, and discuss the experience and preliminary results of the Year of Culture in Belarus.
The council will also consider issues related to the adjustment of the Commonwealth of Independent States to modern realities and the inventory of the legal framework of cooperation in the cultural area, development of cooperation with specialized institutions and other organizations, programs and funds of the UN system, the activity of the working group in cinematography, the results of the 12th CIS Youth Delphic Games and prospects for the period up to 2020.
The participants of the meeting will hear reports on the activity of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music as a basic organization on cooperation in music, cultural and art education and the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography as a basic organization on cooperation in professional education (cinematography), and discuss a number of other issues.
The CIS Cultural Cooperation Council was founded in 1995. Among the main activities of the council is to promote further cooperation of countries in the humanitarian and cultural sector, develop the common humanitarian space, strengthen spiritual and moral values of the society, search for new forms and mechanisms of cooperation, including the organization of joint forums, conferences, theater, music and film festivals, draft multilateral international agreements and comprehensive programs.
The council comprises the culture ministers of 11 CIS states. The council is chaired by Belarus' Culture Minister Boris Svetlov, elected for three years. Attending the meeting will be Deputy Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, CIS Deputy Executive Secretary Konysbek Zhusupbekov, Kazinform has learnt from BelTA .