Azerbaijan, Baku, 19 June / corr. Trend S. Agayeva/ The United States is prepared to assist in maintaining the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, Goli Ameri, Assistant Secretary of State of the United States for Educational and Cultural Affairs said to media in Baku on 19 June.
"The United States respects culture of every nation and it is prepared to render financial support in maintaining cultural heritage of Azerbaijan," she said.
According to Ameri, the United States is ready to assist within the framework of the grant program in line with the Act on Support for World Cultural Heritage passed by the Congress in 2001. The Act aims at demonstrating US respect for culture of all nations, Ameri said.
A total of 135 countries take part annually in the grant programs within this Act worldwide, she said. Azerbaijan has already won this program twice and temple in Gum village and mosque in Gala village near Baku have been reconstructed with the US financial support.
Now the United States plans to render financial assistance in maintaining cultural heritage of Azerbaijan.
The Assistant Secretary of State of the United States visited Manuscripts Institute at the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan established in 1924. The manuscripts dating back to 9th and 20th centuries are kept in the institute. A total of 12,000 manuscript books and 50,000 publications in Arabic, Turkish and Persian languages are collected in the institute.