Azernews.Az

Women could act as a harbinger of a safer world, said participants of a high-profile international event that gathered in Baku on Tuesday.
Over 300 participants from across the globe are taking part in the two-day conference "On strengthening the role of women in cross-cultural dialog", including the first ladies of Poland, Latvia, Angola, South Africa, the spouses of the Turkish prime minister, Argentinean vice-president and the governor of the US state of Texas, and vice-speaker of the Russian Federation Council.
The conference began with reading out Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's appeal to the attendees.
"Women play a crucial role in solving problems in society," Aliyev said, emphasizing that it was women that could rescue mankind from the challenges facing a globalizing world.
Azerbaijani First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva said in her remarks that increasing the role of women in inter-cultural dialog has started to take on a new meaning.
"In the past 15 years scientists and politicians of the world have been looking for an answer to the question: dialog or stand-off? The problem of eliminating stand-off should be seen through the eyes of the woman. Where women are -- there are sincerity and friendship -- and there is no room for animosity and hate," Aliyeva said.
Poland's First Lady Maria Kaczynska said her country was attaching great importance to the role of women in dialog among cultures. She emphasized that children around the world were getting less care due to the emerging family crisis.
The Turkish Prime Minister's wife Emine Erdogan said women should make a contribution to regional security. "Women should join effort in ensuring tranquility and peace in the region and the entire world."
Erdogan said that as time passes by, borders among countries are disappearing and the role of women is further increasing.
"But at the same time, prejudice increases. We need to make sure that this will not lead to a clash of civilizations.
"We have to leave behind a safe world. We don't want to see women and children suffering from unfair wars. It is women that should serve as a platform for the solution of security problems in the world," Erdogan said.
Vice-Speaker of the Russian Federation Council Svetlana Orlova said the world was in much need of harmony today, with women being at the forefront of efforts to accomplish the goal.
"Women account for over 50 per cent of the world population, and not a single problem, including security, should be solved without their involvement," said Hanifa Mezoui, who heads the NGO Section at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. "The road to peace and prosperity of the human race lies through inter-cultural dialog, and we have to capitalize on that."
She pointed out the importance of increasing women's role in state building, poverty reduction, environmental protection and elimination of illiteracy.
The senior coordinator on cross-cultural dialogue of the Youth Forum of Organization for Islamic Conference (OIC), Leyla Aliyeva, said: "The world we live in should be based on friendship and mutual understanding."
"For the world to become stronger, it is necessary to set as the cornerstone the principle of mutual respect, not mutual destruction," said Aliyeva, who is the Azerbaijani President's elder daughter.
ISESCO Director General Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri stressed women's tremendous contribution to cross-cultural dialog.
"They undertake the responsibility of nurturing the new generation and leading it along the right path, and diverting it from wrongdoing -- extremism, impatience and everything that stands in the way of our peaceful co-existence," Altwaijri said.
He emphasized the need for getting women more involved in international activity "so that they would carry out their mission more effectively".