PROBLEMS OF BIG-TIME POLITICS

Tolerance of different views, morals and habits is self-evident in Azerbaijan. Tolerance of the particularities of different peoples, nations and religions is part of Azerbaijanis' psychological make-up. At the same time it is a sign of confidence in the reliability of our positions and an open ideological consciousness that is unafraid of comparison with other cultural characteristics and does not avoid spiritual competition. Another manifestation of Azerbaijan's tradition of tolerance, which has long won international recognition, was the holding in Baku of the First World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue under the slogan "United by common values and rich in cultural diversity", with the support of such prestigious institutions as UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the Council of Europe, the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and ISESCO. The composition of forum participants was more than creditable: Baku was visited by the culture ministers of 20 states, the deputy ministers of several countries, representatives of leading international organizations, including the director general of ISESCO, the deputy director general of UNESCO, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the mayors of several foreign cities and about 500 prominent cultural figures, scientists and specialists. The joint work of political leaders and government officials, experts and artists was reinforced within the framework of the forum by the scale of the informal exchange of professional information. The forum was covered by Euronews, which acted as a media partner.

Capital of tolerance

We can say without exaggeration that the holding of the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku is a landmark event, and not only for life in Azerbaijan. And it should be considered and analyzed not only as a culturological event, but also in terms of its political component, since the interethnic dialogue and problems arising at the junction of different cultures progressed far beyond their humanitarian perception. Emerging issues are given unwanted political overtones. Contradictions that could be resolved at an early stage are subject to provocations and become the skilful instruments of contention in the hands of those who benefit from disputes and conflicts at international level. Why are clashes at national and religious levels becoming more and more frequent? Because these are the most sensitive issues perceived by people in terms of 'us and them', and when there is a clear assignment of these concepts in the psychological sense, one small spark is enough to start a large fire. And here politics interferes with the issue.

The fact that this forum was held in Azerbaijan has a certain symbolism, since our country can be classified as a centre, figuratively speaking, the world's capital of tolerance. This is an appeal to intercultural dialogue as being one of the most pressing issues of our time and, certainly, an area that is becoming increasingly important globally. This was the goal - to consider the conceptual, managerial, political and practical aspects of intercultural dialogue, to discuss obstacles standing in its way and to address specifically the question of how this dialogue can be implemented well in different contexts. The forum was an opportunity to share good practice and introduce new initiatives. This was the first meeting on intercultural dialogue to be held on such a global scale. And it seems that the main purpose of the mission - to take the initiatives implemented by Azerbaijan on intercultural dialogue beyond regional limits, raising them to a global level, and to create an international forum working on a regular basis in our country - can be considered complete. Consequently, the work done is a significant diplomatic success for Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan it was that proposed holding a world forum on intercultural dialogue under the auspices of President Ilham Aliyev in Baku in April 2011. This proposal was made at the 65th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on 23 September 2010. On the same day the Azerbaijani head of state announced the holding of this major event in Baku.

At the official opening of the forum, the Azerbaijani president said: "We, being the Azerbaijani state, attach importance to ensuring national and religious tolerance in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is one country that can serve as an example to the whole world in this respect. Representatives of different religions and different nationalities live together here. All conditions are here for the practice of their beliefs." The efforts of official Baku show that Azerbaijan intends to spread this practice and tradition so that people live in peace and harmony, without discrimination and in an atmosphere of mutual value in every part of the world.

Over the past three years, Azerbaijan has hosted a number of activities related to intercultural dialogue. In autumn this year, Baku will host the First Humanitarian Forum. Last year Azerbaijan was declared the capital of Islamic culture.

By the way, it is worth giving attention to the fact that these efforts come from a country with an overwhelmingly Muslim population. Thus, Azerbaijan fundamentally rejects the false idea that Islam is a self-contained religion and demonstrates a true example of Islamic tolerance. It is no accident that an Azerbaijani city - this time Naxcivan - will be declared the capital of Islamic culture in 2018.

President Aliyev also mentioned problems facing the country. Stressing that Azerbaijan is a young country that only recently gained its independence, Ilham Aliyev recalled the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and the fact that citizens of our country suffered ethnic cleansing. More than one million Azerbaijani citizens are refugees. Part of our internationally recognized territory is still under occupation, despite resolutions by the UN Security Council, the Council of Europe and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

"Realities of the current world"

In continuing the declarations of tolerance put forward by the leader of Azerbaijan, the First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO, Mehriban Aliyeva, delivered a speech on the second day of the forum at the session ''Women as key participants in intercultural dialogue''. She also stressed that in recent years, Baku has become a true space for dialogue and that in Azerbaijan there is a strong and conducive environment for holding such events.

The President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation stressed that, today, intercultural and inter-civilization dialogue is one of the most important and popular topics in the world. This issue has already gone beyond the framework of a purely culturological problem and has become a problem of big-time politics. At the same time, she admitted that although the theme of intercultural dialogue is often placed on the agenda of various events, its impact on the current situation is extremely limited. "Hostility, intolerance, ethnic cleansing, genocide and war are the reality in today's world. Today, the number of confrontations and conflicts in the world is not decreasing but, unfortunately, growing. Of course, in this situation, the number of people - politicians, religious and public figures, scientists and ordinary citizens - who join the dialogue, is increasing every year."

Mehriban Aliyeva noted that at present certain theses and models are put forward in addressing existing ethnic and sectarian conflicts which do not calm, but foment, the situation. "Today it is no secret that behind each such concept is a certain policy, certain political forces and political ambitions. I think this trend creates very serious challenges and threats in the modern world. We live in a time when there are even those who want to play with people's most sacred, most pure feelings. Each of us belongs to a different religion, but the value systems of these religions are very similar. Professing different religions, we pray to the Almighty, and the essence of our prayers is similar." Noting that today we face unimaginable examples of religious intolerance far removed from humanity, Mehriban Aliyeva severely condemned the burning of the holy book of Muslims - the Koran - by the evangelist pastor from Florida, Terry Jones. "A man who calls himself a religious figure burns the holy book - the Koran. How should we describe this act? What is his purpose? Whose political order is it? What and who do these people serve? But we did not see the world community strongly condemn this monstrous act. As a result, this unpunished brutality led to even more monstrous cruelty, and we witnessed it", said the goodwill ambassador. Thus, the first lady of Azerbaijan considers that one of the biggest threats of our time is the politicization of religion. It is unacceptable that various extremist forces have emerged under religious slogans. It is obvious that such actions and events are contrary to dialogue and normal relations and pave the way for a new confrontation", Aliyeva said, stressing the utmost importance of dialogue in the context of globalization.

Resolution on Karabakh, forum, dialogue

The forum was also addressed by the chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Director General of ISESCO Abdulaziz bin Othman Altwaijri, UNESCO Assistant Director General for Strategic Planning Hans d'Orville, Executive Director of the Secretariat of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Marc Scheuer, and President of the Crans Montana Forum Jean-Paul Carteron. A presentation was also made by the former special representative of the UN Secretary General from Portugal, Victor Angelo.

In his speech, Director General of ISESCO Abdulaziz bin Othman Altwaijri called for the fulfilment of the UN resolutions on Nagornyy Karabakh. He noted that it is time to solve the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. The director general of ISESCO called for international mediators to abandon the policy of double standards and fulfil the UN resolutions on Nagornyy Karabakh just as the UN Security Council resolution on Libya was promptly fulfilled.

UNESCO Assistant Director General for Strategic Planning Hans d'Orville, who took the floor, said that UNESCO was directly interested in hosting the forum. He said that due to his hectic schedule, the secretary-general was unable to participate in the event. After welcoming participants on behalf of the secretary general, Hans d'Orville said Azerbaijan was a place where you can provide diversity and continue intercultural dialogue.

Terming the event meaningful, the president of the Crans Montana Forum, Jean-Paul Carteron, called on men of science to participate actively in discussions. "The World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, which began in Baku today, is a very important event", said the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mevlut Cavusoglu. He stated that the holding of such an event is very important to prevent religious discrimination and Islamophobia.

It must be noted that the forum was opened with a session called "Towards a world without borders". It was headed by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and adviser to the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Jean-Christophe Bas. The second session of the forum was dedicated to the theme "Better dialogue: Culture, Arts and Heritage". The session was chaired by Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Qarayev and Robert Palmer, head of the Council of Europe Directorate for Cultural and Natural Heritage.

According to Qarayev, the holding of the First World Forum in Baku is an indicator of how responsive the Azerbaijani state and President Ilham Aliyev personally are to the issue of intercultural dialogue. The minister noted that the World Forum will become a tradition: "We worked hard to achieve this goal. We held a meeting of European culture ministers and a conference of culture ministers of the Organization of Islamic Conference. This process was developed at the Baku forum," said Qarayev.

"The Baku forum has a global nature. This is the first time that we have tried to bring together a large number of partners in the persons of representatives of various governments and ministries of culture, cities, experts, artists and youth", said Robert Palmer.

Azerbaijan is trying to play a major role not only in the region, but throughout Europe and the world at large, he said. Azerbaijan positions itself as such a player in a number of initiatives.