On December 18, an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States was held in the capital of Russia, the government portal of Uzbekistan reports.

In his speech, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov expressed gratitude to the heads of delegations for their active support of the initiative to assign Samarkand the status of a cultural capital and Tashkent – the youth capital of the CIS.

Following the meeting, a Statement on the prospects for cultural-humanitarian cooperation was adopted.

The document is aimed at deepening intercultural dialogue, supporting and popularizing cultural and linguistic diversity, preserving the national and historical and cultural heritage and traditions of the peoples of the CIS countries, increasing the interest of the CIS member states in organizing and conducting joint events in the field of culture, as well as the implementation of joint multidisciplinary and educational projects.

“We stand for further building up the entire range of interstate interaction in the cultural-humanitarian sphere on the basis of mutual respect and taking into account the interests of all member states of the Commonwealth,” the statement reads.