"Today Russia and Turkey are in the state of looking for new and activating old formats of cooperation in practically all spheres," [...] "After overcoming an eight-month crisis in our relations, we can see the new wave of activity in humanitarian cooperation, especially in the framework of the Russian-Turkish public forum."

Organizers hope to expand  the exhibition soon and find a larger venue for it. Meanwhile, other U.S. embassies — including the one in Berlin — are also helping Syrian artists gain exposure. Without art and culture, civilized societies cannot exist, said Al Kadri. The exhibition, he added, “is a big chance [to show] that Syria has a deep-rooted civilization.”

South Korea is one of the key Asian nations that Kenya has been keen to build robust relations with. Over the years, the Kenya-Korea relations have been growing. In the years between 2010 and 2012, a Korean Studies project was deliberated upon by the University of Nairobi, the Korean Foundation, the embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kenya  which was to put the two countries relations on another level.

South Korea's cultural ministry held a ceremony on Monday to officially bring down the curtain on the cultural exchange programs with France that started last year. In September last year, the two countries started various events to celebrate the 130th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties. The extensive programs cover the two nation's culture, politics, education and technology.

The Goethe-Institut announced at its annual press conference on Monday in Berlin that it would be setting up shop in Baku, Azerbaijan and Yerevan, Armenia, in the coming year. The German parliament has reserved three million euros for the branches, which would host language courses and cultural programming. The organization already runs 159 institutes in 98 countries.

The Consulate General of Japan in Shanghai hosted a reception on December 1 to celebrate the 83rd birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, Akihito. Held at Okura Garden Hotel in downtown Shanghai, hundreds of guests, including officials from local governments, such as the city of Shanghai and Jiangsu Province,  business people, academia, artists and the representatives of the Japanese community attended the ceremony and reception.

Noted Hindi poet-critic Ashok Vajpeyi on Friday said cultural initiatives are important to improve ties with Pakistan in the long-run and hoped the two neighbours can be comrades in arms in the sphere of art.