Moscow, July 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a letter of greetings to the 14th international arts festival Slavic Bazaar, opening Friday in the old Belarusian city of Vitebsk.
The Kremlin press office quoted President Putin as saying that over the years, "this large and authoritative creative forum has become a symbol of Slavic unity." He described the Slavic Bazaar as an ambitious and exciting project, one that promotes friendship and cultural cooperation between Slavic communities.
This year, the festival will have a record number of participants-as many as 6,000. They come from 33 countries across the world, including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Estonia, Latvia, Armenia, Georgia, the United States, Germany, Italy, Israel, Egypt, and Malta. Representatives of Chile, Brazil, and Iran will also be taking part-for the first time in the festival's history.
The Slavic Bazaar is the Russia-Belarus Union's largest cultural undertaking. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has established a special award for outstanding achievement and contribution to the international festival movement. He is going to personally present the award to a winner at the end of the current forum.
For the first time ever, Vitebsk, rather than France's Cannes, will be hosting an assembly of the International Federation of Festival Organizations (widely known by its French acronym, FIDOF). It will be the venue of a gala featuring winners of FIDOF-sponsored festivals.
