9 April 2008
Days of Belarusian Culture to take place in Italy’s Sardinia in mid-May

Days of Friendship and Belarusian Culture are expected to be held in Italy’s Autonomous Region of Sardinia between May 14 and 19, Giuseppe Carboni, Belarus’ honorary consul in the Mediterranean island, told reporters in Minsk on Tuesday.

According to him, the Days will feature concerts by various Belarusian artists and a soccer tournament titled “Belarus Friendship Cup” in the south of Sardinia.

Kosmoto Monastir, an amateur soccer team in the Sardinian capital city of Cagliari, will play a number of friendly games in Belarus from May 30 through June 6, Mr. Carboni said.

In June, a group of Sardinian children are expected to visit the Zubranya summer camp in the Minsk region, Mr. Carboni said. In July, two Belarusian junior soccer teams will participate in an international tournament in Sardinia. A group of Belarusian children will take part in an international music and dancing festival to be held on San Pietro Island in December. This year 10 Belarusian students will spend 15 days at a university in Iglesias, and 10 Sardinian students will stay for two weeks in Belarus, Mr. Carboni said.

All the events are mainly aimed at strengthening cultural and educational ties between Belarus and Sardinia, he noted.
According to him, Belarus and Sardinia also intend cooperate in tourism and the economic sphere. A Belarusian business delegation is expected to visit Sardinia in September, and Italian businesspeople are to come to Belarus in November. The main objective of the visits will be to increase tourist flows, Mr. Carboni said.

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily. It has an area of 24,089 square kilometers and a population of about 1.7 million. The island is visited by about 1.7 million tourists every year. //BelaPAN