Belarus and Russia have many points of contact to develop cooperation in the cultural sector, member of the Union State Parliamentary Assembly's Commission on Social Policy, Science, Culture and Humanitarian Affairs, member of the Russian State Duma Olga Germanova said during the meeting of the Union State MPs with Vitebsk Oblast Governor Nikolai Sherstnev on 19 February, BelTA has learned.

"Belarus and Russia have many points to develop cooperation, especially in the cultural sector. We are aimed at the implementation of all projects in the sector. This is the foundation for everything, including the economy," the Union State MP said.

She cited a number of big joint cultural projects that are currently financed within the Union State. In particular, support is provided to the Brest Hero Fortress Memorial. Funds are also allocated to the organization of the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk, the youth festival held annually in Rostov with the participation of delegations from Belarus and different regions of Russia. About 4,000 hotel vouchers are purchased for war veterans and other categories of people. As a rule, they all go to the Belarusian health resorts. The 5th Forum of regions of Belarus and Russia will be hosted by Mogilev, Gorki and Shklov in 2018.

Nikolai Sherstnev welcomed the current level of cooperation and also made a number of requests concerning the possible projects to be implemented in Vitebsk Oblast with the support of the Union State. For example, for over 26 years the regional center has hosted the International Festival of Arts Slavianski Bazaar which includes the Day of the Union State. Traditionally, it features a lot of exhibitions and various other cultural events throughout the city, including in the Summer Amphitheater where the lighting equipment needs to be replaced. Another project that requires the support of the Union State is a project to set up a exhibition hall for artists in the Ilya Repin museum Zdravnevo. "It is our common heritage that we must maintain and develop," the Vitebsk Oblast governor.

The suggestions were supported by the Union State MPs. "They will be considered at the next meetings of the commission," Olga Germanova said. These issues will not go unheeded, promised Margarita Levchenko, the head of the department of social policy and information at the Union State Permanent Committee.

During the meeting, Sergei Bozhenov, a member of the commission on social policy, science, culture and humanitarian affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarus-Russia Union State, a member of the Russian State Duma committee on education and science, showed interest in the work on the spiritual and moral education of young people. "You have a great experience that we should examine and adopt. In the 19990s we lost lots of things and now we have to rebuild them. In this regard Belarus managed to retain the positions," the MP said.

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