First Lady says Azeri tolerance exemplary

(27/04/2006 – www.azernews.net)

Azerbaijan can serve as an example for all countries of the world in terms of tolerance.

This statement by the president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and UNESCO goodwill ambassador, Mehriban Aliyeva, made at the "Azerbaijan: dialogue between civilizations. Yesterday and today" an international conference in Baku on April 19-21, quickly turned into the event's motto.

The conference, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Academy of Latin Culture headquartered in Brazil, is joined by representatives from a number of world countries, including the Prince of Jordan and President of the Rome Club, Hasan bin Talal, an assistant to the UNESCO general-director, Jerome Binden, prominent academics, clerical figures and Azerbaijani government officials. Mehriban Aliyeva regarded the decision to hold an international conference of this scale in Azerbaijan as a graphic illustration of the dialogue between world cultures in Azerbaijan. The First Lady said Azerbaijan, located on the Great Silk Road, has historically been a hub of tolerance and intertwining cultures. She expressed hope that Azerbaijan would continue playing an important role in encouraging this dialogue. The president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation noted that a people respecting its own culture and history will certainly respect the couture and history of other peoples.

"Xenophobia, fascism and hatred of other nationalities are extremely dangerous for mankind and I am proud to say that Azerbaijan can serve as an example for the whole world for the level of tolerance," Aliyeva said. "There are mosques, synagogues and churches in Azerbaijan and people of all ethnic origins are fully-fledged citizens of Azerbaijan. From this standpoint, this conference will undoubtedly contribute to the dialogue between civilizations and cultures," the foundation president added. The secretary of the Academy of Latin Culture, Candido Mendes, said in remarks that the level of tolerance and the state policy in this regard were worthy of commendation. He pointed to the support the Azerbaijani government is providing to the intelligentsia in this field. "We are in favor of resolving all problems through dialogue and by way of listening to the intelligentsia," he said. The three-day conference focused on the role of Azerbaijan's ethnic diversity in international cultural relations and the contribution of the entire Caucasus region to the development of inter-cultural dialogue in the world. While in Baku, the visiting participants in the conference familiarized themselves with Azerbaijan's national culture, history and literature.

The Academy's previous conference on Islamic and Latin cultures was held in Tehran.