The first international festival of national arts of the CIS member-countries will open at the Vladimir Nazarov State Music Theatre of National Art on September 25, journalists were told on Tuesday by Russian Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoi and the head of the theatre. In the minister's opinion, the festival "will be of tremendous importance during the current globalization era." "Russia and the entire world community are concerned about preserving their non-material legacy during the era of the development of mass-scale culture which has no national colouring," he noted. The interest in the cultural legacy of another nation, which is characteristic of the festival, "is not political or ideological, but the natural requirement of the national cultures to communicate with each other and make exchanges,"stressed Shvydkoi. Vladimir Nazarov said that more than 250 actors from the creative collectives of almost all CIS countries will perform on the stage of his theatre during the festival. During the gala concert to be given on the first day of the festival there will be brief performances by all the participants in the festival. It is expected that the festival's opening ceremony will be attended by Chairman of the Russian government Mikhail Kasyanov, Russian Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoi and the ministers of culture of the CIS member-countries. On the next day the stage will be given to actors from Kazakhstan, Moldova and Kirghizia. Creative groups from Azerbaijan and Tajikistan will perform on September 27, and of Georgia and Ukraine - on September 28. On September 29, concluding day of the festival, national songs and dances will be performed by Russian, Armenian and Belarussian ensembles. Small exhibitions of national decorative and applied art will be held during the festival. (RIA Novosti)