Baku Forum highly appreciated by world-renowned statesmen
By Sara Rajabova
Well-known politicians and statesmen have highly appreciated the work of the 3rd Baku Global Shared Societies Forum, which kicked off in Azerbaijan’s capital city Baku on April 28.
The Baku forum will create trust and once again prove the need for something new, said Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the former UN Secretary General during his address to the event participants.
“I hope Baku will host other events and conferences thanks to which the city will become a cultural center that will provide the international community with fresh ideas and new concepts, taking into account the impact of technical progress on the world,” read the message, Trend reported.
These new ideas are supposed to help the world get prepared for the creation of a new society, noted Boutros-Ghali. “Because currently, we live in an old society which operates in accordance with old principles."
Henry Kissinger, the ex-U.S. secretary of state said the 3rd Global Shared Societies Forum in Baku will achieve great success.
Kissinger, in his message to the forum, wished success to the event participants, said the Global Shared Societies Forum, which brings together intellectuals from around the world to discuss and decide on the most topical problems of modernity.
The ex-secretary of state also said he believes that with the disappearance of the old world order and establishment of a new one, this forum will help turn the world into a more appropriate place for future generations.
Abdullah Gul, the Turkish ex-President noted that holding the 3rd Baku Global Shared Societies Forum in Azerbaijan testifies to the country’s development.
He told reporters on the sidelines of the event that Turkey and Azerbaijan are proud of each other’s successes as the countries adhere to the "One nation - two states" principle.
Gul also said the holding of this forum in Baku helps the participants to know more about Azerbaijan.
“Dialogue, cooperation and mutual trust are required to achieve security in Europe,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s message to the event participants read.
She said Germany and its partners always protect its values and the world order in Europe.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, but not all its principles are observed until now, read the message.
"This means that we still have much work to do," Merkel said, adding that Germany is ready to take part in the development of the new world order through intensive dialogue.
Merkel also conveyed her best wishes to the forum participants.
Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General said in her message that one of the goals of the UN establishment was to strengthen confidence along with the promotion of peace and solidarity on the basis of human rights.
“Today the planet is facing constant challenges. We have witnessed the attacks of extremists, terrorist acts, all of which are turning points in our history,” she said.
Bokova noted, “the solution of these problems is the main objective of the forum program, which we support."
The forum, organized by the Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with Diaspora and the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, is being held on the "Building Trust in the Emerging World Order" topic.
“The great poet Nizami Ganjavi in the XII century formulated leading principles in people's lives, which fully comply with current values of democracy,” VairaVike-Freiberga, former Latvian President said at the opening of the forum.
She noted that there are principles that are difficult to develop, adopt, as even today many believe that people were not created equal.
“There is no absolute equality even in the most democratic countries. Democracy requires daily work,” she said.
The principles that govern democracy are the principles of civilization, solidarity, understanding, value of human life and equal rights, regardless of gender, color, religion or preferences, according to Vike-Freiberga.
“We could discuss these issues at today's conference, and I would like to personally thank President Ilham Aliyev for his understanding of the importance of meetings, like today’s one,” she said.
The forum is being attended by presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, former heads of several countries, and representatives from 72 countries.
The event is to discuss topics and issues related to the fight against terrorism, ethnic and religious conflict resolution, democracy development, education reform, and environment preservation.
The forum provides a space for current and ex-presidents, prime ministers, ministers and leading scholars and experts to assess the current state of the world and the most pressing threats to international security and peace, and to elaborate concrete steps for today's leadership to overcome these divisions.
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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
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