Youth against extremism and radicalism

Yesterday, Baku hosted the Russian-Azerbaijani "Youth Against Extremism and Radicalism" round table, organized by the North-South political center, the "Sodruzhestvo" press club and the Azerbaijan University of Languages with support of with the Russian State University for the Humanities.

Organizers of the event belive that destructive ideas that are being spread in the youth environment can't be affected by borders and require coordinated response from law enforcement bodies and societies of our countries. It's a common problem for Russia and Azerbaijan, which can be resolved through cooperation not only among law enforcement officials, but also cooperation between civil societies, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, expert community and the media.

In an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza, director of the International Studies Institute of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), doctor of historical sciences, professor Stanislav Chernyavsky, said: "In many countries, government and public focus on situation with children, elderly, pensioners, while young people are perceived as someone energetic, self-sufficient, as people who are able to do anything by themsevles. But it's not like that - young people are in the most difficult situation. Azerbaijan and Russian adopt youth programs, however, after talking to students, I see their helplessness, lack of faith in their own strength."

Speaking about cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan in the field of youth policy, he noted: "We ofter cooperate. When you board Baku-Moscow or Moscow-Baku plane all you can see aroung you are young people, who visit these countries for various reasons - someone wants to do business, some people are studying in universities. When it comes to our university, the Azerbaijan Youth Organization of Russia (AYOR), headed by Leyla Aliyeva, is very active. Our relations are very good, friendly."

Speaking about the round table, Fikret Sadikhov, political scientist and professor at the Western University, told Vestnik Kavkaza: "We're facing broad extremism: terrorism, occupation of territories, aggressive separatism, creation of separatist groups, organization of separatist acts, including in the territory of Azerbaijan. Public is worried about these factors. Meetings like today's round table bring clarity to the situation, facilitate exchange of opinions, develop joint ideas, proposals, lay foundation for future projects. This problem is urgent. It requires an integrated approach, because it's a threat to both national security and socio-political stability. Current measures aren't enough to resolve this problem. This is a long-term process, but it must be carried out consistently, systematically and continuously."