Azerbaijan is a unique place where different religions and cultural representatives live together in peace

An international conference entitled “Common Heritage for Intercultural Dialogue and Development” was held in Tbilisi on 14-16 December 2017.

The conference jointly organized by National Commission of Georgia for UNESCO and National Museum of Georgia has been attended by the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani, German and Georgian scientists and experts and diplomats of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Tbilisi.

Mr. Elnur Sultanov, the Ambassador-at- large, the Secretary -General of the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO delivered a speech at the event and pointed out that number of events and projects have been implemented in line with the relevant Decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on celebration of 200 th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements in the
South Caucasus.

Mr. Elnur Sultanov emphasized the importance of celebration the 200 th anniversary of German settlements in the South Caucasus region that was included in the List of Anniversaries program of the UNESCO for 2016-2017 by Azerbaijan and Georgia, with the support of Germany. He said that historically settlement of the German families in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan Government’s efforts to preserve the German cultural heritage is an example of the multicultural environment and religious tolerance, which dominated in our country for many centuries. The Secretary-General underlined that located between the two great continents of Asia and Europe, Azerbaijan is a unique place, where the East and the West meet, where the world;s main religions peacefully coexist and where the values and traditions of different cultures harmoniously complement each other. As a strong advocate of intercultural dialogue and multiculturalism, which is a state policy priority in Azerbaijan, my country spares no efforts in sharing its rich experience with other members of international community.

Speaking about the cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and UNESCO, Mr. Elnur Sultanov said that this year Azerbaijan celebrates the 25 th anniversary of its membership to UNESCO. He spoke about the works carried out by our country promoting intercultural dialogue with this organization and the importance of the “Baku Process.” Secretary-General informed the participants about the Decree of the President Ilham Aliyev on celebration of the 10 th anniversary of the “Baku Process” in 2018.

In the context of relationships between UNESCO and the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Elnur Sultanov especially emphasized the valuable contributions of Her Excellency Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, to bringing this cooperation to even more intensive and dynamic level, reaching new horizons of partnership for advancement of ideals of peace and security.

Finally, the Secretary General expressed hope that this conference would contribute to the academic exchanges and further approach of cultures among Azerbaijan, Georgia and Germany. Lectures entitled “Connections with the local population in  German settlements in Azerbaijan” by Ikram Aghasiyev, an employee of the Institute of History of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) and “Heritage of German Architectures in Azerbaijan” by Farida Gasimova, an employee of the Azerbaijan Architecture and Construction University were presented at the conference.