Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 11-12 March 2019, the Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saifullayev visited Kuala Lumpur to attend the VIII World Summit on Art and Culture on the theme “Mobile thinking: culture, knowledge and change.

The summit was organized by the National Department of Culture and Art under the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture of Malaysia and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Organizations (IFACCA) to strengthen civil society, develop cooperation between the nonprofit and public sectors, and promote cultural and artistic figures corresponding to organizations and institutions in a process of dynamic globalization.

The Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan met with the Minister of Tourism, Art and Culture of Malaysia Mohamaddin bin Ketapi.

The Malaysian side was thoroughly acquainted with large-scale cultural and art reforms in Uzbekistan, as well as measures to preserve and enhance the national cultural and spiritual heritage, improve the material and technical base of cultural and educational institutions of the country and strengthen international cultural relations.

Mohamaddin bin Ketapi said he was ready to work closely with the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan to promote and enhance the cultural and tourist image of the republic among the people of Malaysia, as well as in the areas of exchange of experience and the involvement of Malaysian specialists in the development of arts and tourism in Uzbekistan , libraries, cultural centers and educational institutions and the publication of articles, reports and joint research in scientific journals of the two countries.

The Uzbek delegation also visited the oldest educational institution - the Malaysian Institute of Art and the largest in South-East Asia Museum of Islamic Art.

According to the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Kuala Lumpur, the negotiations resulted in the following agreements:

- organization of the visit of the leadership of the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture of Malaysia and Malaysian folk music performers to the republic to participate in the Bakhshi International Art Festival in Termez on 5-10 April and the XII Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival in Samarkand on 26-30 August;

- promotion of cultural and historical heritage and tourist potential of the two countries through the organization of “Days of Culture”, “Days of Cinema” and other events to promote the image on a parity basis;

- signing of a partnership agreement on close cooperation between the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture of Malaysia;

- establishment of partnerships between the Malaysian Institute of Art and interested educational institutions of the republic;

- exchange of students and teachers in order to practice in partner universities of the two countries;

- organization of summer and winter schools in Malaysia and Uzbekistan;

- consideration of the possibility of establishing cooperation between the Museum of Islamic Art of Malaysia and museums of Uzbekistan in the field of conducting joint research of ancient manuscripts, as well as the training and advanced training of specialists.