Pavel Kuzmin: We have one thing in common with the National Library of Azerbaijan - it is the soul

In Moscow, within the walls of the All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature named after. M.I.Rudomino, the Azerbaijan Cultural Center, created with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, has been operating since 2011. General Director of the library Pavel Kuzmin talks about the activities of the center and Russian-Azerbaijani cultural cooperation.

 

- The stated mission of the Azerbaijani Cultural Center is to preserve and enhance Azerbaijani culture in Russia, as well as to strengthen humanitarian ties. How is this work being done?

- We have signed an agreement on joint activities with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Over the years of operation of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center, we have held more than four hundred events: book presentations, discussion platforms, and involved young people in discussions. This is a center that creates conditions for dialogue, and the mission carried out by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Azerbaijan Cultural Center is fully consistent with the mission of our library.

This is the only center that, despite all sorts of political turbulence, has remained and maintained its presence in our library. It cannot be considered a separate structural unit of the All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature. It is a center incorporated into the library's activities that fully shares our goals and objectives. Therefore, we are very grateful to both the leadership of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the staff of this center, who, interacting with the All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature, are doing a very, very great job.

- Do you use the experience of Azerbaijani libraries?

- We maintain close contacts with the National Library of Azerbaijan, which celebrated its centenary last year. It was attended by a huge number of guests from around the world. In this library, I am always amazed by the deep concern for preserving not only historical memory, but also the spirituality inherent in Azerbaijanis. We are sometimes embarrassed by certain feelings, the expression of certain emotions, and we sometimes make do with bureaucratic procedures on a human level. And the Azerbaijani library is absolutely open. Those who work there are open as specialists, as professionals, as people. This love, respect for one's history, one's memory evokes great respect. What kind of local history and historical events they host! The Azerbaijani library conducts all events with such purity, thoughtfulness, spiritual understanding that it is worth a lot. Not all national libraries have it.

Guests also come to our libraries from Azerbaijan, and they are amazed by our intercultural, interethnic, international activities. We are happy to share our experience, and we adopt their experience. But we have one thing in common. It is the soul. Without a soul, the tasks we set for ourselves are almost impossible to complete.

- The VI World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue will be held in Baku on May 1-3. Will you go?

- I will gladly take part if everything works out. The International Cultural Diplomacy Forum is organized at a very high, ministerial level. I received a personal invitation from a very good friend of the library, Ambassador Polad Bulbuloglu to take part in this forum. We have something to talk about, something to discuss with foreign partners. This will be my third trip to Baku. By the way, I was lucky enough to visit this beautiful country and this wonderful city only when I was a library director. Previously, it was not possible to get to Baku, although I have both friendly and family relations with the citizens of Azerbaijan.