VITEBSK, 16 July (BelTA) – The International Arts Festival Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk is an important cultural event both for Belarus and Russia, State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota told BelTA. “The Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk is important not only for people living in Vitebsk Oblast, Belarus, but also for those living in the neighboring regions of Russia. They are looking forward to the event, and take vacations in order to come to Vitebsk,” Grigory Rapota said. He noted that the 21st International Arts Festival is a success. “I attended the festival for the first time, though I always watched it on television and thought it was a landmark event. But it is better to see the festival with your own eyes. The organization and scale of the festival make a wonderful impression. It can be called a true holiday not only for the Belarusians, Russians, and Ukrainians but also for all people who came here,” Grigory Rapota believes. The official does not exclude that the share of the Union State in the financing of the festival may be increased. “However, this decision depends on the finance ministers of Belarus and Russia,” he said.

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