Ramin Naziyev, Baku. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
The Head of Rossotrudnichestvo (the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation) in Azerbaijan, Enver Sheikhov, talked to VK about the activities of the Russian Information and Culture Center (RICC) in Azerbaijan.
- How were the employees of the RICC chosen? With which structures do you cooperate?
- There are no random people here. We have some people from Rossotrudnichestvo. My deputy has diplomatic status. There are people from Azerbaijan who proved to be partners of Russia. We are in touch with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Sport and Young People's Affairs, the Committee for the Affairs of the Diaspora. We are helped by the Azerbaijani Parliamentary deputies when we organize regional events. We create some common events with the artists' unions, theatre and cinema activists, with the Azerbaijani Photography Union, Russian diaspora organizations, the Association for the Integration of Azerbaijani Youth in Europe, Azerbaijani student associations, with the public movement Ireli (Forward).
- Who usually attends the RICC?
- Our center is open to all Azerbaijani citizens regardless of their ethnicity, social position or age. The school pupils go to dancing, singing or drawing classes. Students, professors, artists, representatives of the Russian or Tartar diasporas, Cossacks also come.
- Are you planning any innovations?
- We are preparing a project called Pillar schools. These schools in the regions will host different events attracting teachers from the districts. We already held these events in Zakataly and Khachmaz. The next ones are planned in Kenkoran, Ganja and Masally. We hold classes of the Russian language, provide the necessary methodical literature, multimedia education programs, organize conferences involving both Azerbaijani and Russian teachers. The project is aimed at developing the level of teaching Russian. It is a dynamic field, we need to introduce new methods, new forms and contents of teaching, new books. We also want to develop distance courses for teachers. In December 2012 we started a center for distance learning for these programs. They are now at the approval stage, they will be adopted when all the details are approved.
- Is your structure efficient in devoloping Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation?
- This is our main goal. Rossotrudnichestvo is working here on the basis of the intergovernmental agreement of 1997. This is our legal basis. Now Azerbaijan is planning to open an Azerbaijani Culture and Information Center in Russia, because it was a bilateral agreement. It is a mutual process. Of course we reinforce the friendship between our states. Many figures in culture, education and science were awarded Rossotrudnichestvo signs to reinforce cooperation. Azerbaijan is supporting our activities, young people are interested. The humanitarian and social sphere is an important link in the questions of friendship and understanding.
