Creation of CIS Center for Preservation of World Cultural Heritage discussed in Minsk

August 10, 2011 - 19:46 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Minsk, Belarus is hosting a 2-day session of a working group on establishment of CIS Center for Preservation of World Cultural Heritage new project.

The Center will be created in accordance with the 2011-2012 action plan for humanitarian cooperation confirmed by the heads of CIS governments last year in St. Petersburg. The Center will be established on the base of the UNESCO Chair in Urban and Architectural Conservation (Moscow).

The Center will deal with popularization of the world cultural heritage sites, joining efforts in elaboration of the methodological principles of preservation and restoration of the world cultural heritage sites.

An annual report on the state of monuments included in CIS cultural heritage list will be drafted to be submitted to UNESCO.

CIS

CIS - The Commonwealth of Independent States, an interstate association (agreement on cooperation between independent countries) of the most former Soviet republics of USSR. The organization was founded on 8 December 1991 by the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine, when the leaders of the three countries signed a Creation Agreement on the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the creation of CIS. At the same time they announced that the new alliance would be open to all republics of the former Soviet Union, as well as other nations sharing the same goals.\r\n\r\nOn 21 December 1991, the leaders of eight additional former Soviet Republics - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan agreed to join the CIS, thus bringing the number of participating countries to 11. Georgia joined two years later, in December 1993. As of that time, 12 of the 15 former Soviet Republics participated in the CIS.