Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 6 January, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan hosted an official ceremony of signing a declaration of intent in cooperation between France and Uzbekistan on creating long-term partnerships between the two countries in the field of education, research and culture.

The participating parties intend to create a Franco-Uzbek cultural center. The center will become a multidisciplinary facility for the implementation of creative activities, popularization and dissemination of French culture, as well as a center for information, documentation and study of the French language and culture in Uzbekistan. The goal remains to develop cultural cooperation, promote an innovative approach in the field of culture in Uzbekistan, as well as French and Uzbek artistic and intellectual creativity, while respecting the principles and values that they embody.

The signatories propose joint activities in the development of this center, which will be built on the basis of the former Intourist building in Tashkent. After reconstruction, it will house two new cultural institutions at once - the Franco-Uzbek Cultural Center and the Center for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage Objects. Both institutions were created at the initiative of the Foundation, whose office, as well as the office of the National Commission for UNESCO, will also be located in this building.

Under the terms of the declaration, an administrative council of eight people will be assembled. The Council will be headed by the Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan or his representative. The chairman of the French Alliance in Tashkent will be its eligible member. The French side will include the Ambassador of France or his representative and adviser for culture and cooperation of the French Embassy. The deputy director of the Center will be an expert from France, jointly selected by both parties. He will be appointed as a facilitator, coordinating the events and working closely with the French Embassy.

The Uzbek side will ensure the provision, maintenance and operation of the building after reconstruction, the recruitment and remuneration of employees, the provision of an annual budget for the operation.

Speaking of the opportunities and the agreed job prospects, the center will be offered access to platforms, tools, resources and training developed by the Institut Française de Paris. The French Embassy can provide grants to the Center to support cultural projects. The French Embassy intends to organize at the Center, together with the French Institute for Central Asian Studies (IFEAC) and the Campus France agency, information events on training opportunities and scientific activities in France, as well as open an IFEAC branch in Tashkent. Close ties in the field of cooperation between French and Uzbek universities, linked by cooperation agreements and European ERASMUS + programs will be involved.

With the approval of the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, the declaration was signed by Charge d’Affaires of the French Embassy in Uzbekistan Brice Roquefey and executive director of The Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan Gayane Umerova.