Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus

The conference took place in St. Petersburg on June 18. The central theme of the plenary session of the conference was “Interaction of Cultures: Preservation of Heritage and Global Dialogue in the Modern World”.

Participants discussed issues of preserving common historical and cultural heritage, developing humanitarian cooperation and strengthening partnerships between countries in the face of modern challenges, and searching for effective mechanisms for further integration.

The event program also included panel discussions on current trends in cinematography, theatre arts, library and museum work, musical culture and creative education. The economic aspect of cultural cooperation was also considered.

As part of the conference, a meeting was held between the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus Marat Markov and the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova.

At the meeting, the results of joint work were summed up, including after the joint board held in March this year, and promising areas of interaction were identified. The focus was on the development of museum and cinematographic cooperation, strengthening regional ties, preserving historical memory and traditional spiritual and moral values.

Marat Sergeevich proposed updating the current intergovernmental agreement in the field of culture. Olga Borisovna noted the intensive cooperation of theatres, museums, and educational institutions.

The ministers emphasized the importance of joint actions aimed at preserving historical memory. In this regard, the significance of the patriotic project — the requiem concert “Every Third” — was noted.

Also, as part of the meeting, a Memorandum of Cooperation on Certain Issues of the Formation of the UNESCO World Heritage List was signed between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

According to Marat Markov, the ministries of culture of Belarus and Russia have long been carrying out joint work to promote national values, including regarding the UNESCO World Heritage List.

“Today we signed a memorandum on the submission of a joint application for memorial complexes directly related to the Great Patriotic War — Mamayev Kurgan and the Brest Fortress. This will be a joint transnational application. We plan to submit it in 2030 for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List,” he said.

“For our countries, this is a most important event. These monuments are directly related to the values of the Belarusian and Russian peoples. Over the next four years, we will make a huge amount of effort to ensure that this application is approved. This is of great importance and value to us. And here we have no differences in views,” emphasized the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus.

He also touched upon the topic of the development of creative industries, which is being discussed today at the international conference in St. Petersburg. The list of creative industries is very broad — it includes fine arts, theatres, as well as the IT sector, tourism and much more.

“Culture is not only the soul of the people. Competent management and a competent approach to creativity are needed. The creative industry should also generate income. The world has long been making money on this. More than $2 trillion is currently circulating in this sphere alone. Moreover, the annual growth is significantly more intensive than in other traditional sectors of the economy. I believe that this is the future. Everything related to creativity is the lot of the young, that is, future generations, those who will build and develop our countries in the future,” Marat Markov stated.