Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Ozodbek Nazarbekov, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and together discussed ways to promote cooperation between ICESCO and Uzbekistan in cultural fields. The two parties also discussed arrangements to celebrate Samarkand as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2025, as part of ICESCO’s program to celebrate the capitals of culture.

The meeting, held on Thursday, May 30, 2024, is part of the visit of Dr. AlMalik and an ICESCO delegation to the Republic of Uzbekistan. At the beginning of the meeting, the Director-General reaffirmed the Organization’s commitment to ensure a successful celebration of Samarkand, in cooperation with the Uzbek authorities, through the implementation of a rich program that highlights the artistic, cultural and heritage elements of the city, and its status as home to many leading scholars of the Islamic world. The Director-General further explained that this celebration seeks to support efforts to consolidate Samarkand’s cultural assets and publicize its status as a center for science, art and culture, and a global destination for consolidating the values of coexistence and dialogue.

The meeting discussed the ongoing arrangements for the celebration programme announcement of Samarkand as Culture Capital in the Islamic World 2025. In this connection, the two parties agreed to set up a joint working group to develop the elements of this program, which will feature year-long activities and events both in Samarkand and other Uzbek cities.

The two parties also discussed the establishment of the ICESCO Regional Center for Manuscripts at the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center in Uzbekistan, within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Organization and the Center in 2021 to enhance cooperation in the cultural field and work towards providing the Center with modern equipment to hold training workshops for specialists in manuscript restoration and authentication. Likewise, they discussed ICESCO’s participation in several cultural events and arts activities, to be organized in Uzbekistan in the coming period, notably, the second edition of the Maqom Art International Forum.