FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AZERBAIJAN

A year ago, it was known that 2012 would be rich in various international forums, cultural events and sporting events, which would be held in Azerbaijan. Among them were traditional events such as the Baku International Humanitarian Forum and those that Azerbaijan hosted for the first time.

Eurovision in Baku: the festival was successful!

The Eurovision-2012 Song Contest, held under the slogan of Light Your Fire, can be rightly regarded as the most grandiose of international events organized in Azerbaijan for the first time. 

Official ratings show that Eurovision-2012 was watched by more people than in the past 2-3 years. Agence France Presse said in this regard: "The Eurovision-2012 Song Contest created a good opportunity to promote Baku - the capital of oil-rich Azerbaijan. At the competition, which was watched by more than 100 million viewers, this country demonstrated the highest level of its cultural identity."

The agency drew particular attention to the fact that "the capital of Azerbaijan Baku is a very beautiful city. If anyone doubts Baku's love for fashion, let them even turn back and look at the Flame Towers. Baku has perfectly prepared for the Eurovision-2012 Song Contest."

The Washington Post noted that Baku has got rid of its bleak industrial image and become a vibrant centre of business life, which combines the Istanbul charm of the Old World and the architectural achievements of Dubai.

Europe learned the name of the winner of the 57th international song contest Eurovision-2012 on the night of 27 May. It was the Swedish singer of Moroccan-Berber descent, 28-year-old Loreen, who performed the song "Euphoria". Second place went to Buranovskiye Babushki from Russia, while the "bronze" was taken by Serbia's Zeljko Joksimovic.

As a result of Eurovision-2012, the Land of Fire secured its status as the most successful debutant of the competition in its history. Azerbaijan started at Eurovision in 2008 with 8th place and never went below the top 10 in five years (the last 4 years - top 5) in the final, not to mention the unforgettable victory in Dusseldorf. Such a result was not shown in five years by any country participating in the competition.

Azerbaijan gained the right to host the Eurovision Song Contest thanks to the brilliant victory of the Azerbaijani duo Ell & Nikki (Eldar Qasimov and Nigar Camal) at Eurovision 2011 in Dusseldorf. Europe believed in the love story of the Azerbaijani couple immediately, but not everyone was confident after the victory of Ell & Nikki that the new independent country of the former Soviet Union will be able to host the prestigious competition at the appropriate level. However, in a very short time Azerbaijan confidently confirmed its image as a reliable partner and hospitable host, which it gained in recent years. Take, for example, the construction of the Baku Crystal Hall concert and sports complex in a very short period of time, not to mention the level of the organization of the competition, accompanying shows and reception of guests.

Before the walls of the Baku Crystal Hall had recovered from Eurovision-2012, preparations began for the concerts of world show business stars, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. Their concerts were scheduled for the autumn when Azerbaijan was to host the first FIFA U-17 Women's Cup held in Eurasia.

The first but not the last World Cup

This was the first major international football competition hosted by Azerbaijan. Overall, the tournament was held for the third time. The decision to hold the World Cup among girls under 17 years of age in Baku was taken by the executive committee of FIFA in March 2010.

"The U-17 Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan was organized at a high level and in full accordance with international standards of transport, communications and sports infrastructure," a member of the Organizing Committee of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, Anastasia Tsichlas, said at a press conference in connection with the closure of the World Cup.

She said the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the opening ceremony was a clear example of the state's concern for the development of sports in Azerbaijan.

FIFA President Joseph Blatter also expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for organizing the championship. He stressed that the country is now in a position to host other prestigious football competitions as well. The FIFA head attended the opening of the championship together with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. The tournament was closed by UEFA President Michel Platini.

The opening of the junior championship was broadcast live in 125 countries. The show was made especially attractive by the participation of the world famous circus Cirque du Soleil with a programme prepared specially for the ceremony, and, of course, the long-awaited international pop star Jennifer Lopez at the Baku arena. The championship ended with a concert by the no less popular star Shakira.

It is already known that in 2016, Azerbaijan will host UEFA's European Under-17 Football Championship. But even before that, in 2015, Baku will host the first European Olympic Games. The decision was taken on 8 December in Rome at the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committee. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called the decision "historic" and "a turning point in the Olympic movement".

And in 2020, Azerbaijan and Georgia intend to host the "adult" European Football Championship. If UEFA does not accept the offer of Baku and Tbilisi, Azerbaijan will nominate itself for the World Cup in 2026 together with Turkey.

Crans Montana Forum at the Centre of Inter cultural Dialogue

The Eurovision music contest and the U-17 Women's World Cup are not the only major international events held in Baku for the first time in 2012. They were followed by the Crans Montana Forum, which was the first major international event held at the Heydar Aliyev Centre - a unique architectural structure of the modern world. The multipurpose building with original exterior designed by world famous architect Zaha Hadid impressed the guests with its grandeur and elegance, enhancing their impression from what they saw in the capital of Azerbaijani progress. Prince of the Emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammad Hamad bin Mohammad Al Sharqi admitted in an interview with our magazine that Baku surprised him with its beauty and development. Other guests did not conceal their admiration either.

The main purpose of the 23rd Annual Crans Montana Forum was to encourage the next World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, which will be held in 2013, and the Baku process on intercultural dialogue. This is no accident.

Initiating a dialogue between cultures, Azerbaijan did not limit itself to debates and discussions, implementing specific projects to restore and preserve the historical heritage of different cultures. For example, in June, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation headed by the First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva and the Holy See signed an agreement "On the restoration of the Roman catacombs". The document was signed in Rome by First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and President of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi.

Cardinal Ravasi praised the signing of the document as a shining example of dialogue between religions and cultures.

The Baku meeting of the Crans Montana Forum was attended by the presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro, public figures, MPs, intellectuals and representatives of business circles from around the world.

Leader of the region

The attention of governments and business circles of the world was once again focused on Baku during the 7th Global Internet Governance Forum IGF-2012, which was held here jointly by the UN and the government of Azerbaijan. Incidentally, it was also held for the first time in Azerbaijan.

Organized by the government of Azerbaijan with the support of the UN, the forum brought together over a thousand participants - representatives of governments, major international organizations (such as the UN and ITU), civil society, the Internet community and private companies from more than 100 countries. The key themes of the forum were Internet governance for sustainable human, social and economic development and dialogue between international and national agencies, the private sector and civil society on the policy of state regulation of the Internet.

Azerbaijan demonstrated a very good position on all the above aspects, particularly on transparency of regulation, accessibility and coverage area of online resources. Today Internet radio and television, electronic newspapers and magazines, foreign and internal social networks are widespread in Azerbaijan, and thousands of bloggers are freely engaged in activities in the online environment of Azerbaijan. About 65 per cent of the population has regular access to the Internet, and Azerbaijan is one of the first in the former Soviet Union to introduce the latest technology of mobile broadband access to the Internet - 4G.

The tremendous work carried out by the government of Azerbaijan in this sphere received the highest assessment from the participants in the Global Forum. Speaking at the forum, ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Tour? called for joint work to ensure that all people in the world have access to quality and affordable Internet.

We must say that for many years, Azerbaijan has been taking one of the first places in the former Soviet Union for the pace of the development of the information and communication sector. Over the past decade, total government revenues from the services of the industry increased by 100 times, surpassing, according to preliminary estimates, $ 1.5 billion.

In the next 10 years, the government of Azerbaijan is planning to invest about $ 3.5 billion in a variety of ICT-based projects.

Today the International Telecommunication Union considers it possible to include Azerbaijan in the top ten countries with the highest rates of growth in mobile communications and Internet coverage. Thus, Azerbaijan already meets the 2003 UN requirements for network availability and can be clearly included among the nations of the world that have overcome the threshold of the "digital divide".

The main problem

The only and most important obstacle that Azerbaijan has not been able to overcome yet is the unresolved conflict in Nagornyy Karabakh. This problem is reflected in the declaration of the Seventh General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), which was also held in Azerbaijan for the first time.

The work of the General Assembly was attended by about 200 representatives from 35 countries, including from Armenia. But this time the representative of the country, which has occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijani territory, did not particularly distinguish himself with constructivism. Moreover, the chairman of the Heritage Party and former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisyan was remembered by forum participants for the scandal he had caused when the final declaration was adopted.

Armenia's former foreign minister did not agree that the document reflected ICAPP's support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and UN Security Council resolutions on the territories occupied by Armenia.

Trying to protest, Hovannisyan went on the podium and began to complain. In response, participants banged on the table and interrupted Hovannisyan's "speech", thus making it clear that his protest was not justified. Apart from his attempt to cast a shadow on the objectivity of the ICAPP declaration, Hovannisyan was also remembered by more provocative statements such as "most Armenian lands are also occupied by Azerbaijan and Turkey" or "the reason for the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is Azerbaijan's aggression against the people of Karabakh". And despite such attacks, the security of the Armenian delegate was provided at the highest level.

It is significant that the International Conference of Asian Political Parties also decided to hold in Baku its youth forum, which is scheduled for the first half of 2013.

And in conclusion

Summing up the results of 2012, we dwelled on a number of international events held in Azerbaijan. They were all held here for the first time, which is a further confirmation of the growing role of Azerbaijan in the international arena. The geographical scope of events held in Azerbaijan is also expanding. Moreover, from year to year Azerbaijan is strengthening its status as the centre of dialogue among civilizations, a sports power and a favourable place for discussions on a variety of issues of the global agenda.

On the other hand, these events left a large stock of impressions in the memory of the guests. Azerbaijan, as recognized by tourists, is striking with its beauty and elegance. The capital Baku is very often compared to other great cities of the world - they call it "the Paris of the East", Naples and even Genoa on the shore of the Caspian Sea.

Baku is a city of contrasts, where East meets West. Ancient monuments - Qobustan rock painting, the walls of the Old Town, the Maiden's Tower, minarets of mosques and other examples of eastern architecture - contrast very well with modern high-rise buildings, squares and parks with magnificent fountains, telling about the ancient history and modern development of Azerbaijan.

But it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. People do not say for nothing: "You come to Baku once in order to come back here again and again."