Paris, 12 September {No. 2000-83} - UNESCO Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, will travel to Uzbekistan (September 13 - 15), Georgia (September 15 - 17) and Ukraine (September 17 - 19) for a series of official visits aimed at boosting cooperation between the Organization and the three countries.

In the course of his visit to Uzbekistan, Mr Matsuura will attend the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Interreligious Dialogue, which takes place in Tashkent from 14 to 16 September. During his stay, Mr Matsuura will visit the medieval citadel of Bukhara, which is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The Director-General will also meet the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, and senior officials.

The Director-General will then travel to Georgia, where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Treasury of the Amiranashvili State Arts Museum, and the inaugural ceremony of the Foundation for the Popularization and Development of Culture of Georgia. During his visit, Mr Matsuura will meet with the President of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze, and will travel to the City-Museum Reserve of Mtskheta, the former capital of Georgia and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition, the Director-General will give an address at Tbilisi State University.

In his first official visit to Ukraine, the Director-General will open the International Conference LINGUAPAX VIII at the Kiev State Linguistic University. Launched in Kiev in 1986, the project aims to promote linguistic diversity at all levels of education. Mr Matsuura will also meet with the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, and give an address at the Institute of International Relations in Kiev.