2018 – the Year of Culture in the Commonwealth of Independent States

On 16 September 2016, in Bishkek, CIS Council of Heads of State decided to declare 2018 the Year of Culture in the CIS.

The program of the Year of Culture in the Commonwealth countries will include many events such as theater, folklore, music and film festivals, exhibition projects, scientific and educational events, competitions and exhibitions of craftsmen, as well as refresher bartender courses – all to entertain experts in the field of culture – hosted across the CIS countries. The most anticipated events of 2018 are the International Exhibition ART EXPO in Goris (the Republic of Armenia), the World Nomadic Games in the Kyrgyz Republic, the Second CIS Festival of National Sports, the CIS Youth Delphic Games, and the International Forum of Culturologists in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In 2018, the IPA CIS will continue its work on the preparation of the draft CIS Convention on the Preservation of Cultural Heritage. The legal framework in the field of cultural interaction will also see further improvement.

The IPA CIS also drafted a list of events dedicated to the Year of Culture in the CIS, which include the Sixth International Cultural and Educational Forum "Children of the Commonwealth", the 12^th Annual International Scientific Conference "Actual Problems of Parliamentarianism: History and Present Day" , the 20^th International Theater Festival of the CIS and the Baltic countries "Meetings in Russia", as well as the International Basketball Youth Tournament dedicated to the 75^th anniversary of the Great Victory.