Humanitarian cooperation has always been intensive in relations between Moscow and Baku. It received a fresh impulse two years ago when the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia signed the program on cooperation in the sphere. Today numerous humanitarian projects cover not only the capitals of the two states, but also their regions. A special role is played by young people.
“Russia and Azerbaijan have always been linked by warm and friendly relations. We have a common history, common victories and achievements. Our countries are inhabited by people of different nationalities, peoples and religions. They live in complete peace and harmony and respect for each other,” Leyla Aliyeva, President of the Azerbaijani Youth Association of Russia, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, said at the AYOR Forum which was held in Moscow a few days ago.
“Our organization was born in Russia. From the very beginning of its creation there was an idea of intercultural dialogue and cooperation. The AYOR unites the Azerbaijani youth living in Russia, helping them to integrate into Russian society and to represent their country,” Leyla Aliyeva stated.
She reminded that Azerbaijan was located at a crossroads of civilizations and cultures, between the East and the West. This is reflected in the country's history and culture: “Tolerance is inherent in our people, it has deep traditional roots. It is the life experience of every Azerbaijani. Today Azerbaijan is becoming an arena for various events, tournaments and conventions.”
"This summer Baku brilliantly hosted the First European Games. And, of course, I want to congratulate Russia on such good results. In the autumn Baku hosted the World Chess Cup. And in 2016 there will be the Chess Olympiad in the capital of our country. Also, next year Baku will host its first Formula 1 race, and in 2017 we plan to hold the Fourth Islamic Solidarity Games. “All this shows the great trust and respect on the part of the world in relation to our country,” Leyla Aliyeva believes.
According to her, Azerbaijan loves the great Russian literature, culture and the arts. "Since the gaining of independence our country has fully preserved studies of the Russian language in schools and in universities, it is possible to get an education both in Russian and in Azeri. We have a Slavic University, a branch of the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University has been opened. The world's first branch of the Sechenov MGMU has been opened recently. Now our doctors can share experiences and work together. In December last year in Baku we marked the anniversary of the great Russian poet M.Y. Lermontov at the highest level. His work is a striking example of the interpenetration and mutual enrichment of cultures."
“The AYOR activities confirm the closeness of our relations. Our young people are doing everything possible to strengthen and preserve friendly relations between our countries. Today there are more than 70 regional offices of our organization throughout Russia. And the scope of our activities includes health, education, culture, science, sports and the environment. The AYOR holds an annual charity event dedicated to the International Children's Day. Our young people visit orphanages, boarding schools and arrange holidays for children deprived of parental care. Each year our young people are involved in a charity event ‘Blood Has No Nationality’ for blood donation. This year free screening for women was organized as part of the fight against breast cancer, in collaboration with WHO. In the year of the 70th anniversary of victory over fascism, our activists organized events and meetings for Second World War veterans in Moscow, Kursk and Tula,” the chairwoman of the AYOR stated.
She added that her organization strongly believed in justice and peace: “Events dedicated to the terrible tragedy of Khojaly, that happened in February, the blackest page of the Karabakh war, are held in various parts of the world in February as part of the international campaign ‘Justice for Khojaly’.”
"In May we held an evening of jazz dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the birth of the great Azerbaijani jazzman Vagif Mustafa-Zadeh, who opened a new direction, jazz-mugham. “Special attention of our country and our organization is paid to environmental issues and environmental protection. Over 4 million trees have been planted in Azerbaijan. It is very pleasant that our young people in Russia, too, are engaged in the planting of trees, involved in various environmental projects. In the future we plan to work more closely with the WWF in Russia. Especially in the field of protection of the Caucasian leopard, buffalo and sturgeon,” Leyla Aliyeva said.
According to her, during its establishment the AYOR has done a lot of work to implement many ideas and achieved many results. The most important thing is that all that we do, we do cordially and with the best intentions.
