Baku, May 19, AZERTAC
“Multiculturalism is a national policy in Azerbaijan and we cooperate with the international community, including UNESCO in promoting the values of multiculturalism,”said First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mehriban Aliyeva as she addressed a conference marking the 80th anniversary of Koichiro Matsuura, former UNESCO Director-General,held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
“I would like to mention here the Baku process, initiated by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which became a truly global platform for promotion of the intercultural and interfaithdialogue. It was initially put forward as a platform for cooperation between member countries of the Council of Europe and members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It was in 2008 that Azerbaijan as a member of both these international organizationsinitiated a meeting of the Ministers of Culture of OIC and Council of Europe in Baku. And this process continues up to date. This year, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Baku Process. In close partnership with UNESCO, we have successfully organized foureditions of World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue within the Baku Process and we are ready to continue this work in the future,” she said.
“Located in the center of ancient Silk Road, Azerbaijan has a long history as a place where ideals can be shared and people came together in the friendly environment. As a country situated onthe crossroads of civilizations, cultures, and religions, Azerbaijan has a lot to offer to international community in terms of cultural dialogue, tolerance and respect toward others. Today, multiculturalism is a national policy in Azerbaijan and we cooperatewith the international community, including UNESCO in promoting the values of multiculturalism,” First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva added.