Twenty-four representatives from the 178 member institutions of the Network of Silk Road Arts Festivals signed the Shanghai Consensus on Thursday, pledging to further enhance cultural exchanges and foster intercultural dialogue.

The Network of Silk Road Arts Festivals was initiated in 2017 by the China Shanghai International Arts Festival together with 22 art festivals from 18 countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. It is now the largest comprehensive and international cooperation platform for art festivals in the world, with 178 member institutions from 49 countries and regions.

"Our participation in the Network of Silk Road Arts Festivals and our signing of the Shanghai Consensus are part of efforts to foster intercultural dialogues as a cultural institution," said Gorgun Taner, general director of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, during the forum that took place at the Grand Halls by the Huangpu River in Shanghai's Hongkou District on Thursday.

"We have a vast experience in collaborative activities in the field of arts and culture and we are looking forward to promoting an exchange of ideas and works of culture between Turkiye and China."

"We should not stop our communications at a superficial level of artistic skills, but should go deeper into the rich connotations of different cultures themselves, and finally achieve true understanding and mutual respect between civilizations through philosophical appreciation and dialogue," said Fang Shizhong, head of the Shanghai Administration for Culture and Tourism.

Fang also suggested building wider, bigger and deeper patterns for cultural exchanges that would allow the Belt and Road Initiative to benefit and inspire the world.

Fang went on to talk about the importance of nurturing young creative talents and taking advantage of the technology revolution in the IT sector to explore new possibilities of cultural expressions that people all over the world would resonate with.