Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 3 January (BelTA) – The 2019 European Games in Belarus will provide a wonderful opportunity for the development of culture tourism, Belarusian Culture Minister Boris Svetlov said in an interview with the Zvyazda newspaper.

“The European Games will be a landmark event of 2019. They will provide an opportunity for the development of culture tourism,” the minister said.

Boris Svetlov noted that all social processes are closely connected with culture that is an indicator of the level of economic, political, industrial and agricultural development. The Year of Culture declared in 2016 was designed to encourage people to look at the events happening in the country through the prism of culture. “The Year of Culture was expected to suggest criteria for evaluating everything around us. Artistic values and approaches used by the workers of culture have become one of the criteria,” the minister added.

The embassies of foreign countries in Belarus held several cultural projects and initiatives. “At the end of 2016, we hosted the Austrian Cultural Season. We also held talks with the Italian Embassy, and are currently developing joint projects. We discussed cooperation prospects with the Advisor for Culture to the President of Serbia. Besides, Russia’s Udmurtia seeks to strengthen the relations with us,” Boris Svetlov said.

When asked whether the government allocates sufficient resources for culture, the minister pointed out: “The state provides as much funding as it can. Therefore, our task is to use the annually allocated funds wisely and efficiently. It is no less important to overcome the mentality of dependency and learn to make money in this area. We have great cultural potential that we should tap into,” Boris Svetlov stressed.