Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A meeting was held at the International Institute of Central Asia (IICA) with the director of the International Institute of Central Asian Studies (IICS) Evren Rutbil.

IICS is an international organization specializing in issues of historical and cultural development of Central Asia. The Institute was created in 1995 and is based in Samarkand. Currently, the Organization is developing cooperation with more than ten member countries, including China, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Central Asian countries, etc.

At the beginning of the conversation, E. Rutbil, who has headed the IICS since the beginning of this year, introduced the IICA representatives to the activities of the Institute, as well as its projects and research aimed at studying the historical and cultural heritage of Central Asia.

One of the significant results of the work of IICS was the efforts to include 33 cultural heritage sites of Central Asia on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

During the conversation, the parties also emphasized the importance of the upcoming 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, which is scheduled for 2025 in Samarkand. Discussing this issue, it was noted that this conference will be the first to be held outside of Paris since 1985, which will certainly attract the attention of the world community to the significant civilizational potential of Uzbekistan and the countries of Central Asia.

The discussion also addressed the current situation and promising areas of cooperation between research institutions.

At the end of the meeting, the International Institute of Central Asia and the International Institute for Central Asian Studies entered into a Cooperation Agreement.

The agreement is aimed at strengthening sustainable partnerships in the field of cultural heritage, history, archaeology, architecture, ethnography, literature and writing of the Silk Road, with a focus on the countries of Central Asia.