Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.22
Trend:
The 7th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, to be held in Baku, will make a great contribution to the development of multiculturalism, tolerance and international dialogue and will even more increase Azerbaijan's role in the world.
This topic was in focus during the expert discussions held on the platform of Baku International Policy and Security Network think tank.
The participants of the event hosted by Elkhan Alasgarov, Ph.D., head of the Baku Network expert council were: Hikmet Hajiyev, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Sevil Mikayilova, editor-in-chief of Azernews newspaper and Amina Nazarli, columnist for the newspaper.
During the discussions, it was noted that Azerbaijan makes significant contribution to the development of regional and international cooperation and by the example of Azerbaijan and its history, the UNAOC Global Forum will show that it is possible to create a successful dialogue model involving representatives of various communities, confessions and religions,
Noting that Baku has hosted a number of international events which contribute to regional and global peace and security, the participants pointed out that the city plays an important role as a diplomatic capital.
During the meeting, it was pointed out that Azerbaijan hosted the Baku International Humanitarian Forum, First European Games, it will hold the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe soon, and the Islamic solidarity Games in 2017.
The experts emphasized that Baku is located at the crossroads of the East and West, North and South, which enables it to play a role of a bridge between the West and the Islamic world.
Further, the meeting participants focused on the recent escalation of the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
The experts noted that the Azerbaijani settlements, located near the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies, were subjected to heavy fire by Armenians in early April.
It was noted that in order to ensure the security of civilians, Azerbaijani armed forces had to respond with a counter-attack which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.
The meeting participants said that the unresolved conflict poses a threat to the region and the international community should be more active in resolving the problem.
It was noted that in order to ensure the success of the talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it is necessary to make distinctions between the aggressor and the country which became the victim of the aggression.