Azernews.Az

BAKU – President Ilham Aliyev has said Azerbaijan can serve as an example of ethnic and religious tolerance to the world amid ongoing discussions about the importance of cultural diversity.

Addressing the opening of the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku on Thursday, President Aliyev said his country possesses a long-standing experience concerning the co-existence of people representing different cultures and faiths.

"Representatives of various nations and creeds have always lived here as one family and equally defended the state. No ethnic or religious confrontations or even misunderstandings have existed here. We want our experience to be studied and to be of interest in other countries, because this is such a rare experience," Aliyev said.

The World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue is an initiative of the Azerbaijani government supported by UNESCO, UN Alliance of Civilizations, Council of Europe, North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and ISESCO. The world’s first forum being held in such a format mainly aims to take Azerbaijan’s efforts in the area of inter-cultural dialog from the regional to a global scale and to establish a permanent International Forum in the country.

A proposal on establishing a platform on inter-cultural dialog is to be made at the forum. The platform is expected to be titled 5A, considering that the five continents represented at the event – Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Australia - begin in Azeri with the letter "A".

President Aliyev stressed at the forum that Azerbaijan is an integral part of the Islamic world and a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). He reminded that in 2009 Baku was declared the Capital of Islamic Culture, and in 2018 the Azerbaijani town of Nakhchivan may be granted this status. Moreover, Azerbaijan, which is a member of the Council of Europe, is one of the countries that will be able to link the Eastern and Western civilizations by holding inter-cultural debates, Aliyev said.

"It was Azerbaijan that was the first democratic republic in the Orient," Aliyev said. "The first Oriental theater was established here, the first opera composed, and women were granted voting rights. Our strength lies in ethnic and religious diversity."

The Azerbaijani leader suggested that programs aiming to promote a multi-cultural society be implemented in every country.

"We want all nations, people of different faiths to forge tight bonds and to be able to discuss various issues openly."

Aliyev voiced confidence that all people, regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliation, will succeed in "establishing a normal society."

The three-day forum underway in the Azerbaijani capital is attended by over 400 people, including the culture ministers of 20 countries, the heads of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and ISESCO, UNESCO and UN officials, representatives of other international organizations, as well as the mayors of numerous world cities, prominent culture figures, scholars and experts.

ISESCO Director General Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri said in his remarks that the Baku forum could be "a new start" for inter-cultural dialog in the world.

PACE President Mevlut Cavusoglu said the forum was tremendously important in terms of countering religious discrimination and Islamic phobia, the issues that are high on the agenda worldwide, particularly in the Council of Europe.

UNESCO’s Assistant Director General Hans D'Orville said holding this event was of great interest to his organization.

"Azerbaijan is located at the heart of the East and West, at the crossroads of civilizations," D'Orville said. "The overall picture allows this country to be seen as a venue for cultural diversity and furthering inter-cultural dialog. The dialog that started in Azerbaijan can be continued elsewhere through various forums in the future."

The UNESCO official stressed the importance of inviting men of art to such events and eliminating differences of opinion and stand-off through art. He therefore suggested holding a forum of art figures.

D'Orville added that it was important to make an effort toward improving religious and ethnic tolerance in the field of education.