The ninth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions began its work on June 6 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Turkmenistan is represented at the forum by Maksat Charyev, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to UNESCO.

The organization's secretariat announced at the opening of the session that three new States parties had joined the Convention: Capo Verde, Pakistan and Turkmenistan. Speakers at the forum welcomed and congratulated these countries on joining the 2005 Convention and the international Movement for Cultural Diversity.

Maksat Charyev in his report spoke about the activities of Turkmenistan to preserve traditional arts, crafts, music and dance, as well as to promote cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. He stressed that cultural centers and museums have been established in Turkmenistan, creative festivals are held, art exchanges are supported, contributing to a deeper understanding of various cultural traditions.

The Ambassador also voiced Turkmenistan's readiness to actively participate in the work to achieve the goals and objectives of the Convention and stated the country's determination to continue cooperation with UNESCO and all participating States, of which there are 152 today.

Delegates of the session and the European Union are considering at a meeting in Paris the implementation of the Convention and ways to solve problems that have arisen in the cultural and creative sectors in the post-pandemic period. The participants discuss the possibilities of expanding the diversity of forms of cultural expression in the digital environment, providing preferential treatment measures for cultural goods and services, as well as strengthening the status of creative workers and specialists in the field of culture.

Turkmenistan joined the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Forms of Cultural Expression in July 2021.

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