SOCHI, 15 February (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia will offer joint support to startups in the field of culture, Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said at the meeting with participation of the presidents of Belarus and Russia on 15 February, BelTA has learned.
“We suggest switching from cooperation between our cultural institutions – theaters, museums – to setting up direct cultural partnerships between our citizens and initiative groups. To this end, we will establish, together with the Belarusian Culture Ministry, a foundation and a commission that will handpick the most interesting startups in the field of culture. Such startups can be initiated by any organizations – galleries, studios, groups of citizens. They will be able to collaborate directly and promote their joint projects. We will support the most interesting startups,” the minister said.
Vladimir Medinsky invited Belarusian children to take part in the Russian program of cultural and educational tourism. “Groups of children come to Moscow, Saint Petersburg for several days or travel along the Golden Ring route of Russia. It is not only much fun, but also a great educational experience, as children visit theaters, museums and learn history. Accordingly, our children will travel to Belarus,” he explained.
The culture minister suggested establishing direct exchanges between children's art and music schools, arranging tours of theater and music collectives to Belarusian and Russian cities and implementing projects in the field of military and patriotic upbringing.
Vladimir Medinsky emphasized that the culture ministries are going to advance from one-time projects to ongoing and systemic cooperation in culture.
In turn, Culture Minister of Belarus Yuri Bondar underlined that Belarus and Russia are truly strategic partners in the field of culture. It is Russia with which the biggest number of large-scale cultural projects was implemented. One of them is renovating and turning into a museum the Brest Hero Fortress Memorial Complex. The two countries arrange joint festivals, run exchange programs, support creative youth, organize a number of art exhibitions and cooperate in moviemaking.
