A discussion was held on "Movable cultural heritage in Azerbaijan. Museum work and modern challenges" at the forum

The third and last panel of the Cultural Heritage Forum organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, held on December 18, was dedicated to the topic "Movable cultural heritage in Azerbaijan. Museum work and modern challenges". The moderator of the panel, Nargiz Abdullayeva, Director of the Project Management Department of the Heydar Aliyev Center gave information about the topic and invited the speakers to the stage.

Then a video dedicated to our intangible cultural heritage prepared by the Ministry of Culture was shown. The video depicted the attention and care of the national leader Heydar Aliyev towards the field of museum work, and the creation of Victory museums by the order of President Ilham Aliyev. Director of the National Museum of Art, and Chairperson of the Azerbaijan National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), Shirin Malikova spoke on the topic "Identification, study, and attribution of Azerbaijani cultural examples preserved in world museums, proving their belonging to Azerbaijan." She noted that the Russian State Museum of Oriental Art, the Louvre Museum, and the Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts preserve Azerbaijan's works of art. Their attribution was carried out, exhibitions of those samples were organized, catalogs were prepared.

Vasif Gurbanov, an employee of the Azerbaijan State Customs Committee, gave information about the activities of the Museum of Customs History in his speech on "Import and export of cultural resources, transit rules". The exhibition drew attention to the process of development of legal acts and mechanisms provided by the legislation for the temporary export of cultural resources in connection with the holding of international cultural events. Altun Mikayilli, Doctor of Philosophy in Art Studies, and Head of the Museum, Gallery and Exhibitions Department of the Ministry of Culture spoke about the rules for the removal and return of cultural assets from the country. Director of the Center for Scientific Restoration of Museum Treasures and Memorabilia, Zarifa Malikova, spoke about the activity of the center she heads, and the process of giving a second life to historical relics. The representative of the Heydar Aliyev Center, Zafig Khalilov, gave information about the center's museum and exhibition activities. He noted that more than 450 exhibitions and events were held in the center in 11 years. Exhibitions organized by the Center according to new trends were received with interest, and examples reflecting different cultures around the world were presented.

Natig Safarov, Head of the Scientific Restoration Department of the National Art Museum, in his speech on "Strengthening the material and technical base. Modern museums. Museums as a means of social education" noted the importance of organizing scientific restoration work and raising awareness in this field. Fabrizio Conti, creative director and expert on the organization of the Museums of Occupation and Victory, spoke on the topic "Restoration of museums in territories liberated from occupation. Museums of Occupation and Victory." He said that after the 44-day war of 2020, he saw the horror of the destruction of cultural resources for the first time. He said that work is currently underway to create the Museums of Occupation and Victory in Lachin, Kalbajar, and Zangilan. Expositions of the pre-occupation and post-victory periods will be created in the museums.

After the speeches, opinions were exchanged on the topics, and questions were answered. The Cultural Heritage Forum will continue its work with panel discussions on December 19.