Baku, Azerbaijan, June 2
By Jamilya Aliyeva - Trend:
Everything is being organized, facilities are well bought, organization and everything else is ready, guests are arriving in a few days' time, and the European Games are going to be very successful, the UK Prime Minister's former Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and former UK Minister for Energy and Climate Change Charles Hendry told Trend June 2.
These are the first European Games and this is very significant, Azerbaijan has been trusted as a country to host these Games, and that is a great achievement and great success for Azerbaijan, he said.
"Baku has new buildings going up all time, everybody who come here for the firs time just get amazed by beauty of the architecture, by this sophisticated, modern city," Hendry said.
"There is a really great opportunity for many thousands of people that have never been to Azerbaijan before to come and see what the country is like," he said. "People come here with very different expectations, but it is only when they arrive here and they see what the city is like, when they see the warmth of people of Azerbaijan, they will have chance to change their interpretations and estimations."
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.
"I think it is going to be very important moment," said the UK minister.
Baku 2015 is the first ever European Games, an exciting and innovative multi-sport event for the continent which will take place from 12 - 28 June 2015.
There will be a total of 20 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. Almost 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over 17 days of competition.
Baku was awarded the Games by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012. The Baku European Games Operations Committee (BEGOC) will organise and run the Games in cooperation with the EOC.
"In London we had Olympics three years ago and that has changed the world's impressions of the UK because they thought we are country of traditions, and we were able to show through the Games that we are very modern and have a sense of humor, we are very high-tech," Hendry said.
Hendry further said that he himself has been to Azerbaijan seven times in the last three years and encouraged for the British people to come and do trade and investment in Azerbaijan.
"Trade relations between Azerbaijan and great Britain are good at the moment, but we can do so much more, and the UK does are great deal in your gas and oil sector," he said.