Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan made a speech at the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World

As reported, on September 25-26, the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World was held in the capital of the State of Qatar, Doha.

The event was attended by a delegation led by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Adil Karimli.

On September 26, the Minister addressed the 12th conference under the theme “Towards the Renewal of Cultural Action in the Islamic World”.

Expressing his gratitude to the Government of the State of Qatar and the leadership of ICESCO, Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Thani for hosting the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World at a high level and with hospitality, the Minister noted that President Ilham Aliyev attaches special importance to Azerbaijan's cooperation with this organization. At the same time, our country's cooperation with ICESCO is further strengthened and expanded with the close support of First Vice-President, ICESCO goodwill ambassador Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva.

"The efforts of the Director General of the organization Salim bin Mohammed Al-Malik in strengthening our relations are also commendable. ICESCO's Regional Office will be opened in Baku this year within the framework of international cooperation, and this is a very important step in terms of relations with ICESCO and the presentation of the ICESCO agenda in the region as a whole, ” he said.

Then it was said that the continuous support given by ICESCO to the "Baku Process" initiative on intercultural dialogue put forward by President Ilham Aliyev in 2008 was highly appreciated in our country. It was noted that the organization has been represented at a high level at the World Forums on Intercultural Dialogue held in our country since 2011. It was brought to the attention that ICESCO's participation in the next forum to be held in our country in 2024 will be important.

Giving information about the historical and cultural richness and Islamic heritage of our country, Adil Karimli noted that Islamic culture in our country manifests itself not only in ancient religious buildings, and their architecture but also in our intangible heritage and traditions, folk art, literature, music, dance, carpet weaving, applied art, cinema, etc.

Later, it was noted that during the 30-year occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia, the historical and cultural heritage here had been completely destroyed, the cultural and religious heritage had been erased from the face of the Earth or subjected to embezzlement. The destruction of more than 1000 historical monuments in the region, including more than 60 mosques, was brought to attention.

Despite the end of the conflict, the remnants of Armenian military units posed a threat to security and peace in the territories of Azerbaijan. Thus, since November 2020, more than 300 Azerbaijanis, most of them civilians, including journalists, have died as a result of mines deployed by Armenian military units in internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan. Therefore, last week, Azerbaijan decided to start local anti-terrorist activities and achieved the surrender and disarmament of illegal forces within 24 hours, and the process of reintegration of Armenian residents of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was started. In this context, the government of Azerbaijan provides the necessary humanitarian aid to local residents and implements all necessary measures to ensure a safe and peaceful reintegration process.

In conclusion, the Minister invited the guests to watch a video about Shusha in connection with the announcement of Shusha as the Cultural Capital in the Islamic World for 2024. A video presentation of the city of Shusha was made from the honorable tribune. The presentation was welcomed by the participants.