Baku, Azerbaijan, June 1
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
The European Games will raise Azerbaijan's authority, deputy director general of Trend International Information Agency, political analyst Arzu Naghiyev said in an interview with the Public Television of Azerbaijan.
He said that holding the European Games in a Muslim country is a great victory.
Naghiyev said that hundreds of thousands of tourists, volunteers and athletes will arrive in the country for the European Games.
"Holding the first European Games is a great achievement and a victory," he said. "The excitement in anticipation of the European Games will reach its climax, and the whole world will see what Azerbaijan is really capable of."
"There will be a large number of reporters, accredited foreign organizations in the country. A large number of tourists has already arrived in Baku," he said.
Naghiyev also said that the first European Games also create big opportunity for the promotion of Azerbaijan, informing the world community about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other issues.
Azerbaijan's tourism potential is increasing as does the flow of tourists into the country. As Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Garayev said at the Caspian Energy Forum - 2015, the country aims to increase the flow of tourists by 30-40 percent within several years. Garayev said Azerbaijan plans to be receiving some 5 million of tourists annually by 2020.
Naghiyev went on to add that the atmosphere in Baku has been different last month, as people are in expectation of a holiday that is the European Games.
He also said that special attention is paid to security issues at the European Games.
"Sports facilities, which will host competitions, are protected," he said. "More than 24,000 police officers will be providing security, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
Responding to a question about information security during the European Games, Naghiyev said that Trend International News Agency attaches great importance to this issue.
"Special headquarters have been established, the content on the Games is being published on a daily basis," he said.
Baku 2015 is the first-ever European Games, an exciting and innovative multi-sport event for the continent that will take place on June 12-28, 2015.
There will be a total of 20 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over 17 days of competition.