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to encourage talents in musical and vocal sphere, to further international creative ties, to strengthen cultural-spiritual cooperation, and to promote peace, solidarity, and ideas of mutual respect. Because of these goals of promoting peace and intercultural dialogue and manifesting cultural diversity, the festival almost instantly won the approval of the international community, and it is now a premier international event for the arts. Testament to this is the extreme and rapid growth of the festival. The first Sharq Taronalari festival brought together artists from thirty-one countries, mostly represented by the Asia-Pacific region. The eighth festival held in 2011 included artists from fifty-six countries, representing Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
