The Second Day of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS Forum started with the gala opening of the international  project “The Roerich Pact. History and Modernity” in the Tauride Palace. Aleksey Sergeev, the General Secretary of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS,  took part in the opening ceremony.  He  noted that the “Roerich Pact. History and Modernity” exhibition is shown in the Tauride Palace, which celebrates its 225 anniversary this year.

In June, 2012 the Tauride Palace housed 36th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. It was in the Tauride Palace that the session participants discussed what cultural and natural objects would be under the international protection in the renewed list of the World Cultural Heritage. The CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly constantly improves the law basis of the CIS countries for protection of cultural heritage, noted Aleksey Sergeev.

Aleksandr Stetsenko, vice-president of the International Center of the Roerichs (Moscow) and E.A.Tomsha, chairman of the St.Petersburg Branch of the ICR, greeted the Forum and stressed the importance of the youth for protection of cultural heritage. They presented the Banner of Peace – an international symbol  of the International Treaty for protection of artistic, scientific and historical monuments (the Roerich Pact)  – to Aleksey Sergeev, the General Secretary of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Council and to Arpina Oganesyan, the youth coordinator of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

See also Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States