BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. The State Committee on Work with Diaspora held a meeting with the Azerbaijani community in Australia, as part of the visit to Melbourne and Ballarat cities, Trend reports citing the Committee.
The event, which began with the performance of the Azerbaijani and Australian national anthems, observed a minute's silence in memory of the fallen servicemen who gave their lives for Azerbaijan.
While delivering a welcome speech, Chairman of the Committee Fuad Muradov thanked his compatriots for conveying a truth about Azerbaijan to the Australian public during the second Karabakh War and the post-war period. He also congratulated compatriots on the occasion of October 18, the Day of Restoration of Azerbaijan's Independence.
Reminding President Ilham Aliyev's recommendations at the 5th Congress of World Azerbaijanis, the chairman delivered a report on the multifaceted activities of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora and the Diaspora Support Fund, coordination councils, Azerbaijan Houses, Azerbaijani Sunday schools and summer camps for Diaspora youth.
Chargé d'Affaires of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand Ramil Gurbanov and others spoke at the event. The participants exchanged views on promoting the diaspora organizations' activities in Australia.
As part of the visit, Fuad Muradov met with representatives of the Jewish Community Council of the Australian State of Victoria (JCCV). The meeting was also attended by Ramil Gurbanov, JCCV Chief Operating Officer Naomi Levin, JCCV Executive Member Frank Greenstein, Senior Policy Analyst Jamie Hyams, members of the Azerbaijan Cultural Association of Victoria Nira Elgart, Tatyana Zemlinsky and representatives of the State Committee. They were briefed on the activities of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, as well as discussed establishing close relations with the Jewish community of Australia.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan's flag-raising ceremony took place on Federation Square, located in the city center. Representatives of the State Committee, Turkish Consulate General in Melbourne Arif Eser Torun, as well as Azerbaijani students of the city's higher educational institutions attended the event dedicated to October 18, the Day of Restoration of Azerbaijan's Independence. Muradov and Gurbanov stressed that such events would contribute to the unification of Azerbaijani compatriots living in Australia.
Melbourne also hosted a tree-planting ceremony dedicated to reinforcing the friendly relations between Australia and Azerbaijan. The event was attended by the chairman of the State Committee, member of the Victorian Legislative Council , deputy leader of Victoria's Liberal Party, the president of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria in 2010-2018, Turkish consulate general in Melbourne and members of the Azerbaijani community.
Muradov underscored a symbolic meaning of the tree planting on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. He also expressed gratitude to the members of the Legislative Council of Victoria for the development of multiculturalism in Australia and the attention given to the Azerbaijani community.
Speaking at the event, David Southwick, Bruce Atkinson and Arif Eser Torun outlined the multicultural values uniting Australia and Azerbaijan, friendly relations with the Azerbaijani diaspora, and Azerbaijan-Türkiye brotherhood.
