DUSHANBE, June 20, Asia-Plus — Culture Minister Mirzoshorukh Asrori will joint his counterparts from member nations the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the fifth session of the SCO culture ministers that will be held in Kyrgyzstan’s resort town Cholpon-Ata from June 23-26, according to the Ministry of Culture (MoC).
Abdughaffor Abdujabborov, an official with a MoC, said that culture ministers of China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will attend the session in Cholpon-Ata.
The session is aiming to discuss a plan for implementation of an agreement signed between SCO governments on culture cooperation in 2008-2011 and preparations for the Fourth Arts Festival and Exhibition that will be held in Dushanbe in August.
The SCO culture ministers will also consider the plan of work of expert groups for culture cooperation within the Organization in 2008-2009 and the regulations on the procedure of holding of and art festival.
An exhibition of decorative and applied arts will be held on the sidelines of the SCO culture ministers’ session in Cholpon-Ata.
Cultural cooperation occurred within the SCO framework in April 2002. Culture ministers of the SCO met for the first time in Beijing, China on April 12, 2002, signing a joint statement for continued cooperation. SCO Arts Festival and Exhibition was held for the first time during the Astana summit in 2005. Kazakhstan has also suggested an SCO folk festival to take place in 2008, in Astana.
