Twin Cities agreements and other international cultural cooperation agreements

Syria has Twin Cities agreements with Argentina (1), Armenia (2), Australia (1), Belarus (1), Brazil (1), China (1), Iran (2), Lebanon (1), North Korea (1), Russia (1), Slovakia (1), South Africa (1), Spain (3), The Czech Republic (1), Tunisia (1) and Turkey (6).

The Directorate of Cultural Relations at the Ministry of Culture is responsible for implementing international cultural cooperation programs in addition to organizing cultural days out of Syria in Arab and other capitals based on international cooperation and cultural exchange agreements. These include: Cooperation Protocol in 2006 with Belarus (valid 2006‐ 08), Cooperation Work Agreement in 2010 with Belarus (valid 2010‐12), Implementation Program in 2011 with Poland (valid 2011‐13), Cultural Cooperation Program in 2010 with Russia (valid 2010‐12), Implementation Program in 2007 with Tunisia (valid 2007‐09), Implementation Program of Cultural Agreement in 2010 with Tunisia (valid 2010‐12), Implementation Program in 2010 with Turkey (valid 2010‐12), and Implementation Program for Cultural Cooperation in 2011 with Yemen (valid 2011‐13).

Furthermore, The Ministry of Culture participates in regional and international specialized seminars and workshops held by the Arab League, Arab states or international organizations such as the Arab League for Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The Ministry of Culture is an active participant in the meetings of WIPO’s Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore, held with the aim of reaching an international instrument for safeguarding these knowledge sources.