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Azerbaijan has always been famous for its hospitality, and historically located at the crossroads of East and West, Azerbaijan unites different cultures, traditions and civilizations, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Chairperson of MGIMO Graduates Association in Azerbaijan, Leyla Aliyeva said.

She made the statement, while opening discussions in the first panel session on "Energy and environmental dimension of the global economy on the path to sustainable development" within the First World Forum of Graduates of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) on Friday.

Aliyeva said as a graduate of the Moscow State Institute, she is very pleased with the fact that the First World Forum of graduates of this university is being held in Azerbaijan.

"Our country has always been famous for its hospitality, and historically Azerbaijan, located at the crossroads of East and West, always unites different cultures, traditions and civilization. Concepts such as tolerance, patience and amicability are not just words for us - it is a way of life. It is no coincidence that Baku, where one can see Christian churches, synagogues along with Muslim mosques, has recently become a venue for international forums and meetings," Leyla Aliyeva said.

She said, Azerbaijan honours and cares its roots and traditions, but at the same time the Azerbaijanis deeply respect the world's cultural diversity.

"Our country is very fond of the great Russian literature. The Russian language learning at schools has been fully preserved in Azerbaijan, and there is a branch of Moscow State University, Baku Slavic University and Russian Drama Theatre. Our countries share a common history and friendly neighbourly relations established during the independence. And, of course, today's forum is another confirmation of this," Aliyeva said.

Speaking about the topic of the forum panel "Environmental challenges of the contemporary world", she said that it is something which inevitably concerns every resident of the planet.

"Obviously, everything is interconnected. The global economy is inseparably associated with environmental problems. All of us have heard many times and discussed the probability of a global environmental catastrophe in the future. Therefore, in my view, today it is necessary to speak about the protection of the environment very understandably, perhaps from school," Aliyeva said.

She said two years ago the Heydar Aliyev Foundation initiated the international campaign IDEA - International Dialog for Environmental Action - to protect the environment.

"This campaign deals mainly with young people, and seeks to find a creative approach to all our projects. Probably, today IDEA is the most active campaign to protect the environment in the region," Aliyeva said.

She also recalled the recent signing of a project with WWF-Russia.

"We have many joint projects - projects on the protection of the Caucasian bison, tree planting and distribution of nesting boxes for birds. We are also working over a similar agreement with WWF-Turkey," she said.

Aliyeva called protection of endangered animal species as a priority direction of the campaign.

She noted that for this purpose, the IDEA campaign has also identified the Caucasian Big Five - bear, eagle, wolf, gazelle and leopard.

"Taking this opportunity, I would like to share very good news with you - Caucasian leopard has been recently recorded in Azerbaijan. This is a very rare kind and Azerbaijan is the only country in Europe, where this animal exists in its natural habitat. Therefore, now we will be working on a project to protect this and other animal species," Aliyeva underlined.

She said trainings and workshops on the topic of environmental protection are actively held in Baku and regions of the country.

"There are already various environmental study rooms at many universities in Azerbaijan. We are working to release a textbook on environmental protection. I hope that soon lessons for environmental protection will be conducted at all schools of our country," Aliyeva said.

Also last year, the "Green Week", organized by IDEA together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was held in the capital of Azerbaijan, Aliyeva underscored.

Stressing that this activity is not limited in terms of geography, Leyla Aliyeva invited youth from various countries to join and support environmental projects, as well as share their ideas and plans.

"Of course, IDEA is a young organization, and probably on a global scale, it is a drop in the ocean," she said.

But, it is not the most important thing, she noted.

"Every person, even one, can contribute to the protection of the environment and do a lot for our planet," Aliyeva underlined.

Working with young people is especially pleasant, she said.

According to Aliyeva, the Azerbaijani Youth Organization of Russia (AMOR) was established in Russia five years ago.

"Over the past five years, our organization has managed to do quite a lot. We try to cover all spheres of the life of youth. They are culture, education, health care, sports, science, and, of course, the environment. Today AMOR has about 70 regional offices, and the Azerbaijani youth clubs already exist in almost all universities in Russia," Aliyeva said.

She made a special emphasis on the fact that the first such club was established at MGIMO about seven years ago.

"I hope that we will enhance our activity and find new like-minded people through this forum," Aliyeva concluded.