Baku is hosting the International Humanitarian Forum “21st Century: Hopes and Challenges” at the Gulistan Palace today. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made the opening speech.
The president noted that the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and exiled population are a humanitarian catastrophe. Azerbaijan has the world’s largest number of refugees per capita, Interfax Azerbaijan reports. 1 million refugees live in Azerbaijan.
Aliyev expressed hope that the conflict will be resolved in the near future. The UN Security Council passed 4 resolutions, the UN General Assembly passed one, the European Parliament, OIC, CE, OSCE and related structures passed resolutions, he reminded his audience. However, they have not been fulfilled yet.
Sergey Naryshkin, head of the Russian Presidential Administration, noted that national orientations are reflected in science, social and economic practice. No wonder the world community has been emphasising the development of education and culture, he says.
The Baku International Forum is an authoritative platform for discussions of humanitarian cooperation. Azerbaijan has experience in cooperation between cultures, civilizations and confessions. High-ranking specialists arrived from all over the world for the meeting.
The forum was initiated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The talks will include such topics as humanitarian aspects of economic development models, modern technologies for world transformation, traditional values of post-modern culture, biotechnologies and ethics, multiculturalism, social journalism and advanced technologies and convergence of science.
Spokesman for the Russian president on international cultural cooperation, Mikhail Shvydko, called the meeting “an intellectual Davos”.
Sofia Loren, a French actress, Andron Konchalovski, a director, and other celebrities are highlights of the meeting. The heads of Moscow State University and the Russian State University for the Humanities, Victor Sadovnichiy and Yefim Pivovar, arrived for the forum.
Sadovnichiy praised the organizers of the forum, noting that humanitarian problems are one of the main modern aspects. The technocratic approach dominates, he says.
