Participants of the CIS Forum of Creative and Scientific Intelligentsia, which opened in Tashkent, will discuss the 30-year experience of humanitarian cooperation of the Commonwealth of Independent States and outline the prospects of its development. This was announced by Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan Ozodbek Nazarbekov on Monday.
"The XV CIS Forum of Creative and Scientific Intelligentsia, which is being held in Tashkent for the first time, will be a significant event in the cultural life of not only Uzbekistan but also of all CIS countries and prove the preservation, development and strengthening of friendship ties between our countries. I am confident that this forum will serve to strengthen and develop a common cultural space of the Commonwealth of Independent States," the minister said at the opening ceremony.
Special Representative of the Russian President for International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy also spoke about the importance of preserving cultural ties between the peoples of the CIS.
"The world is going through a difficult period, which has also affected the CIS countries, so it is important that the ideas of creation and good will bring confidence in the future to all peoples," he said. According to the special representative, cultural heritage is "a living foundation without which the state cannot be built."
Program and events
The topic of the current forum is "Humanitarian cooperation - the experience of thirty years and prospects for development." It provides for discussion of plans for cooperation in the light of current realities and identification of priorities and forms of work. Delegates will take part in the general discussion session "The cultural heritage of the CIS countries", speak at the panels "The scientific and educational community of the CIS countries", "The newest CIS cultural code: the cooperation development vectors", "Commonwealth literature - new integration mechanisms", "Cooperation of the youth of the CIS countries".
In addition to panel discussions, the two-day program of the forum includes the ceremony of awarding the interstate prize "Stars of the Commonwealth" and the international prize "Commonwealth of Debuts." The participants will also be informed about the results of the project "Cultural Capital of the Commonwealth". This year the Kyrgyz city of Karakol has been given this status, and in 2023 St. Petersburg will become the cultural capital of the CIS.
The forum will include a concert by the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the CIS, which has become one of the major projects of the International Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation (IFHC) of the CIS. People's Artist of Russia Sergey Skripka, Murtaza Bulbuloglu (Azerbaijan), Alibek Kabdurakhmanov (Uzbekistan) and Rasul Klychev (Turkmenistan) will stand at the conductor's stand in Tashkent. The orchestra included musicians from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Organizers note that the presentation of the project "Modern literature of the CIS countries" will be an important event. Creative meetings, literary readings and discussions are planned on platforms of the forum. A joint meeting of the Council for Humanitarian Cooperation (CHC) of the CIS and the IFESCCO Board will be held on the margins of the forum.
Humanitarian cooperation in the CIS
The Forum of Scientific and Creative Intelligentsia of the CIS has been held since 2006. It is the largest annual humanitarian event in the Commonwealth, where participants sum up the results of the past year, discuss plans for joint action, develop recommendations for the most pressing issues of cooperation in science, education, culture, information, tourism, sports, and youth work.
The IFESCCO operates on the basis of the Agreement of May 25, 2006, signed by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In 2008 Azerbaijan joined the agreement, in 2014 - Moldova.
The CHC was established to implement the agreement on humanitarian cooperation of the Commonwealth countries and coordinate their interaction in culture, education, science, information and mass communications, as well as sports, tourism, and work with youth. The agreement on its creation was signed on November 28, 2006. Today Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan participate in the work of the CHC.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: woweezowee/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS