On July 12, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. An exhibition dedicated to the Belarusian diplomat Vladimir Grigoryev opened today at the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Hero of the Soviet Union M.F. Shmyrev as part of the International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk", reports BELTA correspondent. At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota emphasized the significance of the Belarusian diplomat's contribution to the development of relations between Belarus and Russia. "Few people know that Vladimir Grigoryev made a significant contribution to the creation and development of the Single Economic Space and the Customs Union. He was a true ambassador, always defending the interests of the state on whose behalf he was sent to this post in Moscow, and consistently pursued a policy of developing Russian-Belarusian relations. And if we have achieved anything, and we have achievements, something to be proud of in our relations, then Vladimir Viktorovich has made a huge contribution to this," said Grigory Rapota. He also noted the high human qualities of the Belarusian diplomat. The exhibition dedicated to Vladimir Viktorovich Grigoryev opens the exhibition project "History of Vitebsk in Faces", organized by the Museum of Hero of the Soviet Union M.F. Shmyrev with the assistance of the Department of Culture of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. The exhibits included tell about the life and work of this statesman and public figure, his contribution to the integration of Belarusian-Russian relations as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Russian Federation (1997-2006). Thematically, the exhibition reflects Grigoryev's Komsomol, Brest, Vitebsk, and ambassadorial periods of activity, his business trip to Afghanistan, his public contribution, and a set of awards. It is not by chance that the opening of the exhibition is timed to coincide with the official opening day of the International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk". Vladimir Grigoryev once proposed organizing a festival of Polish song in the USSR and initiated its holding in Vitebsk. Subsequently, this forum grew into a landmark cultural event, which has brought together representatives of 28 states in the city on the Dvina today - "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk". Among the participants of the exhibition opening were representatives of regional and city authorities, relatives and colleagues of Vladimir Grigoryev, and the public of the city.-0-

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