MINSK, 23 September (BelTA) – The project Minsk Welcomes Guests will give a start to the 8th CIS Forum of Creative and Academic Intellectuals in the Belarusian capital on 23 September, BelTA learnt from the organizers.

The participants of the forum are expected to start their visit to Minsk with a flower ceremony at Victory Square and a tour around the Belarusian capital with stops at State Flag Square, historic, cultural and sports landmarks of Minsk.

On 23 September the National Center of Children’s and Youth Creative Arts will play host to a benefit concert for visually impaired children with the participation of Honored Artist of Russia Diana Gurtskaya.

The official opening ceremony of the forum will be held at the National Library of Belarus on 24 September. The forum will be held under the motto “2013 is the Year of Ecological Culture and Environmental Protection in the CIS”. The forum will include sections on education, youth policy, information policy and mass media, tourism, cultural cooperation and preservation of the historical and cultural heritage, healthcare development.

The program of the forum will include meetings of the Council of the Eurasian Universities Association, the CIS Conservatory and Music Academy Rectors Council, a coordination meeting of heads of CIS humanitarian cooperation bodies.

A joint session of the CIS Humanitarian Cooperation Council and the Board of the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund will take place in Minsk as part of the forum to discuss the progress made in 2013 and prospects for 2014.

The forum will close on 26 September. Partaking in the event will be delegations from 10 CIS member states: representatives of creative and academic intellectuals in education, culture, healthcare, ecology and nature protection activities, mass media, humanitarian activity. It is expected that Belarus will welcome over 300 people from the whole post-Soviet space.

The organizers of the forum are the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund, the Government of Belarus under the auspices of the President of Belarus, the CIS Executive Committee, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Minsk City Hall.