The 6th Russian-Azerbaijani Youth Forum, organised by Dagestan State University with support by the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, has opened at the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas in Moscow.
Opening the forum, the head of the international activities department of the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, Dmitry Ivanov, noted that the event is being held at a high level. "We have an excellent combination of the efforts of the public sector, non-profit organizations and higher educational institutions. There were certain agreements between the heads of our departments, the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and the Azerbaijani Youth and Sports Ministry in making this bilateral event annual on an equal footing. Finally, at the end of 2018, we have started to implement this idea," he said.
Vice Rector for Research at the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas Aleksander Muradov stressed that he is pleased to welcome the 6th Russian-Azerbaijani Youth Forum in his alma mater. "I was born in Baku, graduated from Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University and entered a PhD programme at the Gubkin Russian State University. I want the forum to go well and fruitfully, especially since it is attended by such distinguished guests as Ambassador Polad Bulbul oglu, minister Azad Rahimov, our friends from Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs. I am very glad that you have arrived, our doors are always open for you," he stressed.
A greeting was read on behalf of the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs' head Alexander Bugayev.
Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Federation Council Olga Timofeeva said that Russian senators pay a lot of attention to the formation of bilateral relations between Russia and Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbul oglu noted the symbolic significance of holding the forum in the university of oil and gas. "It’s no secret that the oil and gas industry was developed in Baku during the Soviet era, and then our specialists throughout the former USSR helped establish this industry. The forum is held in the light of agreements between President Ilham Aliyev and Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets. I am very pleased that this youth forum was organized so promptly, I want to express my gratitude to the Russian side. The purpose of this forum is to enable the youth of Russia and Azerbaijan to communicate with each other. Our generation was born in one country, we were all brought up in a single ideology and a common understanding of what is happening - but today the situation has changed dramatically, we live in different countries, and therefore it is necessary that young people, which will lead our countries into the future, have a good relationship," he said.
Azerbaijan's Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov thanked the speakers for their warm words. "I would like to note that the 6th Russian-Azerbaijani youth forum has become a good tradition that needs to be maintained and developed. The dialogue between young people is very important. Azerbaijan’s relations with Russia are at the highest level of cooperation, and it cannot develop and be successful in isolation from what young people," he stressed.
As you know, Azerbaijan is a young country. In accordance with the law, the term youth refers to people from 14 to 29 years old, which is about 31% of the republic’s population. A young country should think about its youth, and young people cannot live in a closed space, they always look for ways to communicate, for education, and today's forum and any platform of such kind help to achieve this, especially since we are connected by a common history, many of us have the common language. Our president Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly said about it: not a single Russian school was closed in Azerbaijan, and we still have young people who are able to solve issues not only of cooperation, but also related to science, culture and education together with Russian youth at such forums," Azad Rahimov noted.
The work of the forum after the opening will be divided into three sections: volunteering, entrepreneurship and youth centers.
Tomorrow the forum will continue its work at the Dagestan State University in Makhachkala. Azerbaijani participants arrived in Moscow yesterday; a sightseeing tour was organized for them. The forum will end on Thursday.
