Press releases

TBILISI, 21 March (BelTA) – The Minsk Days will kick off in the capital of Georgia on 21 March and will will last for two days, BelTA has learned.

It is expected that the Days of Minsk in Tbilisi will boost cooperation in various fields. The program envisages business, cultural and sporting events.

Minsk and Tbilisi became sister cities in September 2015. The parties agreed to facilitate the cooperation in investment, innovations, healthcare, education, sports, and culture and share experience in local self-government.

Two weeks after the signing of the twinning agreement Minsk hosted the first festival of Georgian culture Tbilisoba. Minskers got a chance to learn more about the Georgian traditions and culture, taste khinkali and other dishes of the wonderful Georgian cuisine. Since then the festival has been held in the Belarusian capital every year.

The friendship between Minsk and Tbilisi has been growing stronger with new promising projects, closer ties between the information centers cooperation of Tbilisi and Minsk, travel companies. The two cities maintain mutual art exchanges, exchange theatrical performances and exhibitions. Healthcare specialists have also joined in the process. They offered internships for Georgian specialists in Minsk and other assistance to the Georgian hospitals, and also suggested developing medical tourism to Belarus.

In Tbilisi, Minsk Mayor Andrei Shoretz and his Tbilisi counterpart Kakha Kaladze plan to sign a trade and economic cooperation program for 2018-2020.

The program defines the areas of partnership in economy, tourism, culture, education, transportation, and housing. Thus, the cities intend to share experiences in the area of public services, maintenance and repair of housing stock, energy saving, high technology and innovations, and also to exchange investment proposals, told business forums. An impetus will be given to the partnership in tourism.

In addition, the capitals will establish a mutual art exchange between cultural institutions, cooperation between municipal theaters, will organize exhibitions of works by art school students, music competitions, and implement museum projects.

The parties will also share the promising practices and scientific developments in the system of supplementary education for adults, participate in educational programs, internship programs, scientific conferences held in the Minsk City Institute of Education Development.

The two capitals also have plans for cooperation in transport. Minsk and Tbilisi intend to exchange experience in the fields of public city transport, road traffic management, and build the infrastructure to operate eco-friendly electric buses. Another area of interaction may be the supply of electro-buses and trolleybuses made by Belkommunmash

As for housing and utilities, the cities will exchange practical knowledge in the technical maintenance and major repairs of housing, paying utility bills, organizing parking lots in residential districts and introducing cutting-edge IT technologies into the housing and utilities sector.

The Belarusian capital will showcase its economic, industrial and investment capabilities and tourism potential.

The presentation will include the opportunities of the Minsk Smart City system, perks of Minsk Guest Card, metro design and construction technologies, innovations in passenger transport and food industry.

The exhibition will feature products by Minsk-based companies: Kommunarka and Slodych confectioneries, Minsk Kristall distillery, Minskhlebprom bakery, the cosmetics producers Belita, Vitex and Modum-Our Cosmetics and also MAZ, Amkodor and MTZ vehicle manufacturers. Belkommunmash will display its brand new vehicles and Minsk City Technopark will show its programs for cooperation and support to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Belkommunmash and a Tbilisi-based transport company are expected to sign a letter of intent to supply electric buses to the Georgian capital and to Batumi. They will coordinate their effort to ensure Belarusian vehicles reach Georgia’s transport market. For the time being, the sides are exploring the trial operation of the innovative transport.

Minsk Tourist Information Center and the Georgian company LLC Resistorgeo also plan to ink a cooperation agreement.

Minsk Days in Tbilisi will be also marked by an extensive program of cultural and sports events.

The program will include a chess tournament and a football friendly. The Shota Rustaveli State Academic Theater of Georgia will host the official opening of the Days and a gala concert by the Belarus Presidential Orchestra. The concert will feature soloist of the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater Ilya Silchukov, singers Ivan Vabishchevich, Alyona Lanskaya, Tariel Maisuradze, the pop song theater Syabrynka and artist of the Belarusian State Circus Alyona Klimovich.

A Portrait of Minsk exhibition will showcase the photos of the old and modern city, its cultural, social, political and sports achievements, and the ones depicting the friendship between Minsk and Tbilisi. The exhibition developed by the Minsk History Museum also includes works of Minsk-Novosti and BelTA photo correspondents.

The Minsk City Hall delegation will visit the Special and Emergency Measures Center of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs to study the Georgian emergency care and response system.

Belarusian representatives will also visit the House of Justice to get familiar with the Georgian one-stop shop principle of providing services to state and private organizations.

The Minsk Technopark plans to sign an agreement on cooperation with the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency. The document will promote favorable conditions for innovative entrepreneurship and the implementation of joint projects and programs.