Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 19 May 2022, the 19th Meeting of Ministers of Culture of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Tashkent under the chairmanship of the Uzbek side. 

It was attended by: State Minister of Culture of the Republic of India Arjun Ram Megwal, Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Abaev Dauren Askerbekovich, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China Zhao Quan, Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic Zhamankulov Azamat Kaparovich, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Federal Education, Vocational Training, National Heritage and Culture of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Sajjad Ahmed, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Lyubimova Olga Borisovna, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan Davlatzoda Zulfiya Davlat, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan Nazarbekov Ozodbek Akhmadovich and SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming.

The parties, in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding, discussed the development of cooperation in the field of culture and art over the past period, exchanged views on the implementation of the agreements reached in the framework of the past meetings of the ministers of culture of the member states of the Organization.

Member States noted the role of culture and its positive impact in supporting communities during the pandemic.

The parties confirmed their interest in developing joint projects in the field of cinema, theater, librarianship and museums in order to strengthen mutual understanding between peoples, preserve the diversity of cultures and spread knowledge about the culture, customs and traditions of the peoples of the SCO member states.

The parties reaffirmed the importance of implementing joint cultural events and stressed the need to further improve the mechanisms for cooperation with the SCO observer states and partners in the SCO dialogue in the field of culture and art, both on a bilateral and multilateral basis.

The parties welcomed the decision taken during the Meeting of Heads of Tourism Administrations of the SCO Member States, held on May 19-20, 2022 in Tashkent, to approve the candidacy of the city of Varanasi (Republic of India) for obtaining the status of "Tourist and cultural capital of the SCO countries".

The parties expressed their readiness to promote the holding of art festivals, competitions, forums, scientific conferences and other types of cultural events in order to promote exchange and cooperation in the field of preserving the cultural and historical heritage of the peoples of the SCO member states.

The parties expressed their readiness to establish cooperation in the educational sphere, to promote the training and retraining of personnel in the field of culture and art.

The parties approved the draft Memorandum between the authorized bodies of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on cooperation in the field of museum affairs (Appendix No. 3) and asked the SCO Secretariat to submit it for consideration by the Council of National Coordinators of the SCO member states to resolve the issue of signing it in the prescribed order within the framework of the chairmanship of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the SCO in 2022.

An agreement was reached to hold the 20th Meeting of Ministers of Culture of the SCO Member States in 2023 in the Republic of India. The specific dates and venue of the Meeting will be agreed through diplomatic channels through the SCO Secretariat.

The ministers are convinced that the further development of the entire complex of interaction in the field of culture will help strengthen the bonds of friendship, good neighborliness and further build up mutually beneficial cooperation between the SCO member states.