Azernews.Az

Vice-President of Azerbaijan's Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva has written an article published in the Rossiyskaya Qazeta (Russian Newspaper) on Tuesday narrating about Azerbaijan's effective cultural policy abroad and positive results of the Azerbaijani public diplomacy in neighboring Russia.

Aliyeva, the editor-in-chief of international magazine Baku, the chairperson of the Azerbaijan Youth Organization of Russia and the founder of International Dialogue for Environmental Action (IDEA) organization, in her article analyzes the basic stages of development of the Russian-Azerbaijan cooperation and the humanitarian policy pursued by Azerbaijan and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

According to the article, titled "Azerbaijan-Russia: the effective formula of success. Public diplomacy gives an impetus to bilateral relations", though the new generation had to experience a decade of radical pains when a change in the ideals occurred, such universal moral values as humanism and tolerance endured and were nurtured by the culture with whose representatives both Russia and Azerbaijan can be proud of.

"It is on the said platform that it is necessary to form common approaches and answers to the challenges of today. As an example it is necessary to also mention a new perspective format of interaction -- the Baku International Humanitarian Forum under the patronage of the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan," Aliyeva said.

Further, Aliyeva draws the attention of readers to the favorable situation in Azerbaijan, which since the ancient times has been known for its atmosphere of high tolerance, stressing that the "location of a Muslim mosque, an Orthodox church, a Catholic church and a Jewish synagogue on one street in Baku is evidence and result of this atmosphere".

Analyzing the results of political developments in Azerbaijan, Aliyeva underlines that Azerbaijan is one of the most rapidly developing countries in the world and all large-scale projects in the region are realized with its participation. Being the leader in the region on export of energy resources, Azerbaijan actively advances the idea of reviving the Great Silk Road.

Speaking about the humanitarian policy of Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Aliyeva writes that from the first days of establishment of the Foundation in 2004, its goal has been to promote charity undertakings. Since then the Foundation's numerous programs directed to the protection of mother and child, fight with thalassemia, children's diabetes and other diseases, various initiatives in children's homes and the houses of veterans are just a small part of the efforts made in supporting humanism and ensuring a bright future for our contemporaries and descendants. With the aid of the Foundation, monuments in the park of the Versailles Palace in Paris are being restored, and assistance is being rendered in the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Sacred Maria in Strasbourg. The school for girls in Pakistan damaged by an earthquake has been rebuilt. Educational institutions in the Netherlands, Romania, Egypt and other countries, including Russia, were modernized.

"Being neighbors in the region, Azerbaijan and Russia also share responsibility for preservation of unique biodiversity of the Caucasus that provides necessity of taking concrete measures in the mentioned direction. In a short period of time, the organization International Dialogue for Environmental Action (IDEA) with headquarters in the capital of Azerbaijan has managed to achieve successes in the education of youths and realization of projects in the sphere of environmental protection."

Further, Aliyeva writes on the value of the Internet and social networks in modern life and stresses the necessity of creation and support for intergovernmental initiatives which will serve to the strengthening of mutual trust and understanding, promotion of intellectual and scientific exchange between scientific elite and youth of both countries.

"Considering close relations between the youth organizations of Azerbaijan and Russia, the tendency which we lately observe, allows to say confidently that these relations will remain as the relations of two very close, friendly peoples. It is possible to consider that in some years, we can establish a much deeper level of economic, investment interaction, deeper level of cooperation in all spheres that allows to speak about the future development of the Azerbaijani-Russian bilateral relations," Aliyeva emphasizes.