Russia, Moscow, November 25 / Trend, V. Alexandrov /
The peoples of Russia and Azerbaijan have been tied with the closest friendship and trust links for centuries, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated in his welcome addressing the participants of All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress held in Moscow on Friday.
Sergey Vinokurov, Chief of the Russian President's Office's Division for Inter-Regional and Cultural Links with Foreign Countries, read the President's message.
"Working together, our ancestors created our common history, which we are really proud of today, promoted to mutual penetration and mutual enrichment of our national cultures, and in the years of the Great Patriotic War fought a common enemy for independence," the message said.
It is pleasant that invaluable traditions of good-neighborliness and partnership are developing and passed from generation to generation; Russia is the second homeland for hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis, Medvedev's message reads.
"Today, the Azerbaijani Diaspora contributes substantially to modernization of domestic economy, takes an active part in scientific, sports and cultural life, and does much to strengthen international and inter-confessional peace and consent in the society, and development of partnership and cooperation with sovereign Azerbaijan," the message said.