Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 6 /Trend News, E.Tariverdiyeva/

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov conferred an order for cooperation to Russian Community of Azerbaijan Chairman Mikhail Zabelin, Moscow official Andrey Yevsipenko said.

Today, Baku hosted the Third Congress of the Russian Community of Azerbaijan. The congress was attended by senior officials from both countries, including Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Public and Political Issues Department head Ali Hasanov, Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Dmitry Dorokhin, Lord Bishop of the Caspian Alexander and ministry and department representatives. The congress was also attended by Count Peter Sheremetyev, Prince Dmitry Romanov, a Russian Presidential Administration official and Ex-Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasili Istratov. The Azerbaijani diaspora in Saratov, Ryazan and Murmansk also attended.

In his speech, Russian Community of Azerbaijan Chairman Zabelin thanked the government for its assistance and supporting the community.

"We, Russians in Azerbaijan, feel that we are full citizens of the country. We can easily live in a country with such a high degree of both national and religious tolerance," Zabelin said.

He personally thanked President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva for assisting the the Russian Community of Azerbaijan. Zabelin also noted the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan's role as well as other ministry and department representatives from Azerbaijan and Russia.