Details added (first version posted on 12:15)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 26
Trend:
Baku is a route through which many new people, many ideas and cultures meet again, says Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo y Marfil.
He made the remarks addressing the opening ceremony of the 7th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Apr. 26, under the theme "Living Together In Inclusive Societies: A Challenge and A Goal."
"For centuries the karvansarays of Baku offered help to those who traveled along the Silk Road from Rome to Istanbul all the way to Asia," said the Spanish FM. "The Silk Road was a sort of initial internet of prehistoric times and Baku was one of its main bases."
"I think it is very appropriate that Baku is today the holder of this Alliance of Civilizations, and that Baku and this country [Azerbaijan] are once again the bases of this alliance," he added.
"Baku is once again the route through which many new people, many ideas and cultures meet again," said Garcia-Margallo.
"We are today in Baku to renew our energies, to tell each other how it has been going, to look into and face the challenges and threats that surround us," he added. "We must face all the threats and help each other to resolve all the issues that take place in multicultural societies."