Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.18
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Azerbaijan, as a country with ancient culture, is open for the whole world, and the membership in UNESCO is living proof of it, said the president of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Akif Alizadeh.
He made the remarks speaking Dec.18 in Baku at the fifth meeting of the National Commissions and Committees for UNESCO of TURKSOY member states.
Alizadeh said that in the modern world, humanity sometimes suffers from double standards. He went on to add that it is necessary to strengthen cooperation in the sphere of religion, language, and other areas in the fight against these double standards. He also said that Azerbaijan is able to regain the territories occupied by the Armenians by military means.
"UNESCO and TURKSOY, which have rich common values, play an important role in these social processes," said Alizadeh. "Services of ANAS in this area are also great."
Azerbaijan's Education Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said for his part that TURKSOY also pays special attention to education, which is very pleasing.
"I think that we should work together to discuss the problems in education," he said. "Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev holds serious work in this area."
The minister expressed confidence that the Turkic-speaking peoples will continue cooperating within various international organizations.
He said the round table on education to be held tomorrow demonstrates the great importance attached to this area.
The Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfas Garayev said Azerbaijan continues to work closely with UNESCO.
"I believe that the holding of this event in Baku will determine new ways to develop cooperation, as well as contribute to the preservation of intangible cultural heritage on a global scale," he said.
Armenia presented lavash (bread) in a Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as the "cooking traditions of Armenia's lavash".
Regarding this issue, the minister said that the file name was changed due to the protest made by the Azerbaijani side and in accordance with the requirements of the UNESCO Convention.
A decision was made that the lavash preparation process simply existed on the territory of Armenia, rather than refers to the Armenian people.
"Azerbaijan hosts many international forums," TURKSOY Secretary General Dussen Kaseinov said at the event. "This certainly pleases us."
"Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev repeatedly told us during the meetings that all our activity corresponds to the UNESCO principles beginning from 2008," he said.
A mutual presenting of gifts was held at the end of the event.
Baku is hosting the 5th meeting of the National Commissions and Committees for UNESCO of TURKSOY member states.
The meeting that takes place Dec.18- Dec.19 is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of establishment of National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO.
The meeting aims at exploring the possibilities of cooperation of Turkic-speaking countries in UNESCO, implementing various projects, discussing necessary issues such as inclusion of joint nominations into relevant lists of UNESCO.
Representatives of Azerbaijani government, UNESCO and TURKSOY officials, heads of the national commissions and committees of Turkic-speaking countries are attending the event.
Edited by CN