Dear employees of the museums,

The international community has been celebrating International Museum Day on May 18 since 1978, at the suggestion of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Our country, which has a rich museum heritage, has been an active participant and supporter of this initiative for 4 decades.

Museums are the most important centers of our culture, education and development, where our historical memory, evidence of events, facts, and, in general, our national identity are preserved and presented. May 18 is a good opportunity to emphasize the role of museums as centers for enhancing knowledge, recognition of real values, inspiration, creation and realization of imaginary ideas.

Due to the current situation, we should celebrate this beautiful holiday for the first time in unusual conditions. With the theme “Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion” all the museums will present their events on the online platform. Traditionally, the Night of Museums, which is traditionally celebrated on Saturday evening prior May 18, is scheduled for November.

May 18 is also considered a professional holiday for museum workers. Therefore, I warmly congratulate all the specialists in the field, who contribute to the preservation, development and dissemination of museum culture through their devoted, honest and grateful work. I wish you fruitful creative activity, passionate enthusiasm and hundreds of thousands of visitors.