MINSK, 15 March (BelTA) – The Belarusian community in Israel makes a considerable contribution to the cooperation of the two states, Belarus' Ambassador to Israel Vladimir Skvortsov said as he attended the meeting of the Ashdod Office of the All-Israeli Association of Immigrants from Belarus, the biggest one among the regional branches of the Belarusian community in Israel, BelTA learned from the Belarusian embassy in Israel.
According to the head of the diplomatic mission, Ashdod is home to a solid and active community of Belarusian nationals that makes a serious contribution to the deepening of Belarusian-Israeli cultural and humanitarian cooperation through public diplomacy. The number of events implemented by the community and the embassy, and in some cases with the support of local authorities, included numerous Belarusian concerts in Ashdod, participation in music festivals in both countries, and also protocol and exhibition events marking different important dates in the history of Belarus and Israel. The Kupala readings are regularly held at the memorial to the outstanding Belarusian writer in Ashdod. The memorial was opened in 2015 as part of a joint initiative of the embassy and the community.
The ambassador stressed that the current year is rich in events of international format in both the states. Israel will host the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Tel Aviv in mid-May. Minsk will host the 2nd European Games in June. The celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazis will be the most important event of the current year. The diplomatic mission and the All-Israeli Association of Immigrants from Belarus will hold a number of joint events to mark the date.
The ambassador invited Belarusians living in Israel to visit the Belarusian capital during the 2nd European Games and the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus. He also invited them to visit Brest, Ashdod's twin city, which marks the 1,000th birthday in 2019.
