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Laman Ismayilova

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The Culture Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries have discussed the prospects of cooperation, Azernews reports.

The meeting was organized within the International Art Festival- Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk, held in Belarus.

The Azerbaijan Culture Minister Adil Karimli, who addressed the meeting, first congratulated the Republic of Belarus on its recent SCO full membership.

Recalling the signing of a memorandum between Azerbaijan and the SCO in 2016, Adilm Karimli stressed the importance of enhancing cultural partnership within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The Culture Minister underlined that the participation of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in the SCO summit held in Astana on July 4 , shows once again the country's intention to deepen cooperation within the framework of this organization.

"We value our status as dialogue partners in the SCO and strive to deepen cooperation in various fields, including culture, education, science and other fields. Our goal is not only to strengthen relations, but also to use the existing potential to support sustainable development," said the minister.

Adil Karimli also drew attention to the fact that Cultural Days of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were organized in Azerbaijan this year.

Stating that Azerbaijan will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change - COP29 in November 2024, the minister added that this prestigious event also has a cultural agenda

A meeting of the ministers of culture is planned within the framework of COP29. This meeting will also be an important opportunity to discuss the negative impact of climate change on cultural heritage.

Note that Culture Days of SCO member-countries were organized as part of the Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk.

The Culture Days kicked off with the gala concert "Together with the SCO for the sake of peace and creativity" in Vitebsk's Victory Square. Delegations of member countries of the organization also participated in the event.

Since its inception in 2001, the SCO has mainly focused on regional security issues and its fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism, and religious extremism.

To date, the SCO's priorities also include regional development. The SCO has been an observer in the UN General Assembly since 2005.

Azerbaijan was granted the status of a dialogue partner in the SCO on July 10, 2015. According to the Memorandum signed in Beijing on March 14, 2016,

The country's membership in the SCO has opened up new opportunities for cooperation in such areas as strengthening regional security and stability, cooperation in the field of trade and investment, energy, telecommunications, and agriculture, as well as the promotion of direct contacts between small and medium-sized businesses; interaction on legal and customs issues, etc.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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