On 12 July 2024, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming took part in the ceremony of opening the Day of National Cultures of SCO member states during the International Arts Festival Slavyansky Bazaar in Vitebsk, the Republic of Belarus.
The event organised by the Belarusian Ministry of Culture was the first one of this kind hosted by Belarus in the status of the SCO member state. Attendees included Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrushenko, heads of the SCO Family’s specialised ministries and departments, as well as ambassadors of SCO countries, accredited in Minsk.
![Генеральный секретарь ШОС принял участие в церемонии открытия Дня национальных культур ШОС](/img/07e8/07/11/1464230_0:256:2730:1792_0x540_80_0_0_6cb0a5f633db332b9d7e240ed272d1bf.jpg)
In his remarks, the SCO Secretary-General underscored the importance of holding such events as Slavyansky Bazaar and the Day of National Cultures of SCO countries for encouraging international cultural exchanges and for facilitating cultural and humanitarian cooperation. He expressed hope that Belarus would continue to promote intra-SCO cultural diplomacy.
![Генеральный секретарь ШОС принял участие в церемонии открытия Дня национальных культур ШОС](/img/07e8/07/11/1464208_0:256:2730:1792_0x540_80_0_0_c67922544ae89f52df9ac5a1293f627c.jpg)
Following the ceremony, the SCO Secretary-General, as well as the heads of delegations, visited an exhibition of SCO countries’ handicrafts.