Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 6 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva /
Azerbaijan is a country with high national tolerance where the people preserve their authenticity thanks to the support of the Azerbaijani government, Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin said at the Third Congress of the Russian Community of Azerbaijan today.
"We are pleased that the Azerbaijani leadership paid special attention to the meeting of the Russian community. Our compatriots' support is our government's policy" Dorokhin said.
He said Russia will continue to support cultural and historical ties with their compatriots in other countries, including Azerbaijan. The community in Azerbaijan is doing much for Russians to improve their living standards thanks the community's chairman Mikhail Zabelin, Dorokhin said.
Presidential Administration Social and Political Department head Ali Hasanov read Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's greeting at the meeting.
Azerbaijan is a religiously and ethnically tolerant country, Aliyev wrote. It is easy for Russians to live here.
In his welcoming letter, he stressed that Russians have lived in Azerbaijan for a long time and actively participate in Azerbaijani social and political events. The president mentioned four Russian heroes who died defending Nagorno-Karabakh.
Meanwhile, Caspian Diocese Bishop Alexander thanked the Azerbaijani government for its religious tolerance.
"As Azerbaijani all-national leader Heydar Aliyev said, multinationality is our wealth and the Russian community is part of Azerbaijani wealth," Alexander said.
The congress was attended by senior officials from both countries.
The Azerbaijani diaspora in Saratov, Ryazan and Murmansk also attended the congress.