Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

An international humanitarian forum started in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on Thursday in a ceremony attended by President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, the state news agency AzerTac reported.

President Aliyev made a speech at the opening of the Baku International Humanitarian Forum.

The forum is a high-profile global scientific and political platform for tackling the challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, holding discussions and exchange of views on a wide range of issues of humanitarian cooperation.

With its rich traditions of co-existence among different cultures, civilizations and religions, Azerbaijan is an ideal venue for holding such events.

About 700 representatives from 70 countries, including 11 Nobel Prize winners, 10 former presidents, heads of numerous countries' governments, ministers, well-known educators, men of science and culture are in attendance.

The main goal of the Baku forum is to create humanitarian and integration incentives, along with bringing humanitarian issues to the forefront of global agenda.

Baku declaration will be adopted following discussions on various issues both at the plenary and departmental meetings to be held as part of the two-day event.

Outcomes of the forum will be reflected in recommendations and calls to be made to international organizations and countries.

Russian President's Special Envoy for International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoi read out President Vladimir Putin's statement to the participants.The presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Romania and Croatia also made speeches on the first day of the forum.

Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Director General, stressing that the forum will adopt a declaration in conclusion, said it will work to call on all nations of the world, all the governments, international organizations and freedom-loving people to work for a more humane world based of mutual respect, respect for cultural diversity, international law and human rights.

Altwaijri said further, "The world is going through a difficult time, a lot of wars. We need wise people to work to save humanity from more disasters and catastrophes."

Head of Turkey's Eurasian Association of Economic Relations, Hikmet Eren, in his remarks touched upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

At present, Eren said, Azerbaijan is experiencing a drama over the violated rights of one million people as a result of the occupation of a part of its territory by Armenia. He was referring to the Azerbaijanis ousted from their homes during the 1990s war with the neighboring South Caucasus republic.

"The Azerbaijani president has reiterated that intellectuals of the world must unite and make an effort to protect human rights," Eren said.

"He said that only the intelligentsia of the world could contribute to the solution of this problem. I hope that the event being held in Baku will make its contribution in this regard. Azerbaijan's problems will be reflected in the final declaration."

Ukrainian political observer Yury Rakhel said regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that the second international humanitarian forum underway in Baku plays an exclusive role amid military conflicts in the present-day world.

Rakhel said that if political leaders focus on resolving the outstanding humanitarian issues, less blood will be shed in the world and the number of conflicts and clashes will be reduced.

"Unfortunately, this is not so in the modern world. I believe that the forum being held in Baku will play an important role in the settlement of conflicts and will impact the problem solution," he added.

According to the President of the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Colum de Sales Murphy, the Baku forum is exceptionally useful for ensuring that Azerbaijan makes its case to put its best foot forward.

"Azerbaijan is in a good position not only in terms of history and culture, but also from the geographical point of view. In political terms, Azerbaijan has an important role to play in the future with so many important neighbors," Murphy said.

UNDP Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan Alexander Zuyev said that discussions will take place on how to change the present-day world and what is necessary for all the countries of the region, including Azerbaijan, to develop economically.

"It is nice to see how Baku has changed for the better very rapidly," he said.

Former Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Baku is a good example of multiculturalism and mutual respect for religions and cultures.

"I think it is an extremely promising opportunity...to discuss many things in international cultural dialogue and cooperation," he said.

Echo of the Planet magazine Editor-in-Chief Elmar Huseynov also emphasized the importance of the forum.

"It is good that Russia and Azerbaijan's initiative served as a basis for the meeting. Azerbaijan is a country that is located at the junction of the worlds, East and West, North and South, Islam and Christianity, and it would be impossible to find the best venue for this event," Huseynov said.

The fact that the forum participation has broadened and it enjoys the presence of well-known people, including politicians, is striking, Huseynov said.

The forum features roundtable meetings on themes including humanitarian aspects of economic growth models; converging technologies and outlines of the future; modern mass media and new challenges; the traditional system of values in a post-modernist culture; new approaches to the processes of globalization in the 21st century. Discussions also cover technologies, modern medicine, and molecular biology; as well as multiculturalism.

Tours to the capital city and regions of Azerbaijan will be organized for the participants of the forum. They will also be familiarized with the Azerbaijani people's abundant cultural legacy and art.

The first Baku International Humanitarian Forum under the slogan "21st century: hopes and challenges" took place in October 2011. The forum organizers are Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russia's Vladimir Putin.