On June 3, 2012 on the occasion of Holy Trinity holiday the inauguration of the Gallery of the paintings of Ukrainian and Russian artists was held in the Cultural and Educational Center under St Philip the Apostle Orthodox Church in Sharjah, UAE.

The exhibition of 23 paintings on religious themes is aimed at introducing the residents of the UAE to the Orthodox cultural heritage and promote for stronger relations between Slavic and Arab countries.

The ceremony of inauguration was held by the participation of the representatives of the diplomatic corps of UAE, Ministry of culture of UAE, Federal agency of the international humanitarian cooperation of the Russian Federation, international cultural organizations as well as the representatives of business and political circles of UAE.

The Ambassador of Ukraine to the UAE Yuriy Polurez noted that a couple thousand Orthodox Ukrainians lived and worked in the United Arab Emirates and every such event contributed to the reproduction of the Orthodox cultural heritage in the Gulf.

The Gallery was created thanks to the organizational and financial support of the Secretary of the Parliamentary group of Verhovna Rada for interparliamentary relations with UAE, Ukrainian sponsor and church warden Mr. Yuriy Sydorenko.