Fostering international cooperation through bilateral agreements

Cyprus has signed bilateral agreements with many countries (developed and developing) with the aim of cooperating in the fields of education, culture and the sciences. In order to implement these Agreements, the Cultural Services are responsible for drafting and implementing the provisions related to cultural cooperation and cultural exchanges of Cyprus with the contracting country (the implementation of the provisions concerning the cooperation on cultural heritage issues are promoted by another Ministry). In recent years, the Agreements signed between Cyprus and other countries include an explicit reference to the 2005 Convention. More specifically there is a special Article which stipulates that: “Both Parties emphasize the importance of the UNESCO convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and encourage bilateral cooperation in order to facilitate the implementation of these Conventions.” In this context, there are also specific clauses in the bilateral agreements that refer to the safeguarding of cultural diversity in the digital era and the exchange of artists and experts.