Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The Azerbaijan Culture Ministry in partnership with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), will host the "OIC Cultural Festival: Baku Creative Week - 2025" in Baku on December 5-11, Azernews reports.

A press conference dedicated to this prestigious event was held on December 5 at the International Mugham Center.

During the event, Azerbaijan Deputy Culture Minister Saadat Yusufova emphasized that the festival is not only a cultural celebration but also an important platform for the development of creative industries, expanding cooperation opportunities, and establishing new partnerships. She noted that the festival is a significant example of showcasing the multicultural values, cultural diversity, and traditions of tolerance of Azerbaijan to the world.

"Approximately 5,000 visitors are expected to attend the festival. This reflects the wide public interest in the event and demonstrates Azerbaijan's potential to become a regional center for creative industries," Saadat Yusufova stressed.

Tariq Ali Bakheet Salah, the OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Social Affairs, expressed high appreciation for Azerbaijan's support for solidarity, cooperation, and cultural exchange. He added that Azerbaijan actively participates in initiatives warmly welcomed by all OIC member states.

"This festival is an important platform for promoting cultural cooperation, strengthening cultural ties, and supporting creative initiatives. We are creating a rich environment by bringing together scholars, musicians, artists, and representatives of the creative sector from various countries to share their traditions, heritage, and experiences," he said.

Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hussein Ghazawi, pointed out that the festival is a celebration of cultural diversity, shared heritage, and solidarity in the Islamic world.

"Today, we are witnessing the wide participation of OIC member states, as well as representatives of the creative industries from various parts of the Muslim world. This broad representation further proves the importance of cultural diplomacy and the strength of our shared values," he added.

He also mentioned that through this festival, the OIC's mission—to bring our peoples closer together, promote mutual respect, common development, and sustainable progresswill take on real content and form. These values are the foundation of the OIC Charter.

Director-General of the Azerbaijan Film Agency (ARKA) Rashad Azizov said that the main event will be the Creative Industries Forum, which will include a film exhibition, as well as a "Creative Village" exhibition featuring countries from the OIC. He noted that the event has already generated significant interest, with visitors from other countries coming to Baku.

In his speech, Rashad Azizov outlined that a rich program is planned for the week, including film screenings from several countries as part of the cinema festival, with the Nizami Cinema Center traditionally serving as the main venue. The main venue for the event will be the Baku Congress Center. Various events will take place at different cinemas throughout the week, with the organization of new types of events also planned.

Note that OIC Cultural Festival: Baku Creative Week - 2025, being hosted for the first time in Azerbaijan, will further demonstrate the country's growing role on the international cultural platform and its contribution to promoting multiculturalism, dialogue, and cooperation traditions in the region. The event will bring together over 300 official representatives, as well as experts from the fields of science, culture, and creative industries from nearly 50 countries. This will demonstrate the unity of the OIC family and solidarity around shared values.

During the festival, there will be high-level meetings of OIC member states' ministers of culture, the "Cultural and Creative Industries Forum" (MYFORUM), the "Creative Village: Cultural and Creative Industries Exhibition" (MYEXPO), the "Baku Cinema Breeze - 2025" international film program, the "East Fashion Show" featuring young and renowned designers from OIC countries, an international summit on gaming technologies (G-HUB), and various cultural projects in theater, music, dance, and animation.