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June 4, 2011

Vice-President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leila Aliyeva attends the conference of AYOR in Saint Petersburg

The third conference of the Azerbaijani Youth Organization of Russia (AYOR) took place in the Tavria Palace in Saint Petersburg, 4 June. Summing up the two-year activity of the Youth Organization, the conference identified the future development strategy.


The event opened with the performance of national anthems of Azerbaijan and Russia.

 

Documentary on the Organization’s huge actions in the past year was shown.

 

Opening the event, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Chairwoman of AYOR Leila Aliyeva expressed gratitude to Azerbaijani youth of Russia for the successful action and active position. She underlined AYOR has been operating for 2 years and a lot has been done for this time, sufficiently good results achieved. L.Aliyeva said: ‘The Organization expands its geographical presence. The Azerbaijani youth clubs operate not only in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, but also in Arkhangelsk, Tver, Ivanov, Yekaterinburg and several other regions. Our organization tries to cover all directions of youth life – sports, healthcare, education and culture’. The speaker mentioned the major action of the Organization is the ‘Justice for Khojaly’ campaign. The campaign aims to inform the world community of the realities of this tragedy, which happened in February 1990 and left 613 civilians, including women, children and elderly, dead. The Head of AYOR said: ‘Khojaly is the unforgettable pain of the Azerbaijani people. I am sure the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Daghlig Garabagh conflict will soon be settled fairly and Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity will be restored. Events are organized in all continents in frame of the campaign: conferences are held, books published, films made. Thus, the number of people knowing the realities about the Khojaly tragedy is intensively growing’.

 

Noting the great attention the Organization pays to education and promotion of Azerbaijan, Leila Aliyeva said AYOR more and more familiarizes the Russian youth and Azerbaijani youth living in the country with Azerbaijan’s history, culture and literature. The Azerbaijan Sunday schools are opened in many regions of Russia. The Azerbaijan room will soon be opened at the Foreign Literature Library. Information on Azerbaijan will be presented here not to the representatives of Azerbaijani youth only, but to everyone interested’.  

 

Besides, AYOR pays huge attention to health and healthy lifestyle. Within the ‘Blood Has No Nation’ action, which has been arranged for several years already, volunteers of the Organization disinterestedly donate blood to all in need. This action covers Moscow and regions of Russia. Also, AYOR organizes action ‘Make Sure You Are Healthy – Say ‘NO’ To Disease’. People were examined free of charge in frame of this action. As part of the joint project of the Organization with UNAIDS, actives of AYOR carry out educational works on AIDS at universities and schools, talk about harm of drug and tobacco, deliver corresponding lectures in regions. 

 

AYOR pays special attention to sports as well. Mrs Aliyeva stressed a mini football championship has been held for 3 years for the Heydar Aliyev Cup. ‘It is very good that the number of participants of the championship is growing and representatives from regions join that’, she said. According to her, the Organization backs up the brain-ring team, organizes championship of ‘What? Where? When?’ game.

 

The Chairwoman of AYOR said: ‘I want to emphasize the Azerbaijan clubs operating in most of the Russian higher schools regularly organize events. I express thanks to the organizers of those events for such initiatives. Because during these years the days of Azerbaijani music, cuisine have been held. The Azerbaijan clubs of Russia can be a model today for their activity. We try to decently represent our national culture, traditions, love the historical and cultural heritage of our people and respect the universal cultural diversity. Azerbaijan and Russia are linked by kind neighboring and friendly relations for long. I want to stress that in Eurovision contest Azerbaijan received 12 points just from Russia. Personally to me, that was a sign, a herald of the glorious victory. Nothing can be compared with the pride and joy I felt when my country won. I invite you all to Eurovision-2012 in Azerbaijan next year. 

 

Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbuloghlu noted since its establishment AYOR has introduced itself as a working and necessary structure of the modern society. He said: ‘Thanks to the active position and organizational skill of Head of the Organization Leila Aliyeva, AYOR has become the clear voice of Azerbaijan in Russia just for 2 years only’. The Ambassador mentioned AYOR is a significant and important means for the development of relations of youth in all spheres of public life and traditional friendly ties between Russia and Azerbaijan.

 

Talking about Azerbaijan’s youth policy and development of the Azerbaijani Youth in 2011-2015 State Programme, Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov said multilateral action of AYOR aims at supporting the physical and spiritual health of over 170,000 Azerbaijani youth of Russia. According to him, using quite necessary and useful forms of action, AYOR contributes to the development of civic consciousness via cultural-educational and social projects. ‘AYOR is a bridge with access to two sides. Both Azerbaijan and Russia are interested in the success of your initiative’, the Minister underlined.

 

Chief of Political Analysis and Information Support Department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Elnur Aslanov noted the importance of the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia. ‘These relations between youth of the two countries that are supported by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Dmitri Medvedev on the high level should be strengthened. Today opportunities are opened for the Azerbaijani youth of Russia to consolidate their relations in the field of science, culture and education. Studying in Russia is not an educational potential only, but also being an informal ambassador of Azerbaijan’s realities. They should inform the cultural and scientific public of Russia of successes and achievements of our country. I am glad that AYOR has successfully been fulfilling this mission in the past years’, E.Aslanov stated.  

 

Secretary General of the OIC Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation Elshad Isgandarov read out the address by the Organization’s Board to the delegates of the conference. The address highly values the AYOR activities and organizational talent of Leila Aliyeva, the Head of the Organization, emphasizing her personal contribution to the realization of the idea of creation and development of the global movement ‘Youth for Alliance of Civilizations’. Mr Isgandarov said: ‘I think, both AYOR members and all Azerbaijani youth should take pride that just representative of Azerbaijan Leila Aliyeva has been elected to the Youth Advisory Board of the Alliance of Civilizations and honorably represents here 57 OIC countries’.

 

Secretary General of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Mikhail Krotov, Chairman of the Youth Policy Committee of the Administration of Saint Petersburg Alexander Nikolaev, President of the Saint Petersburg State University Lyudmila Verbitskaya, Co-Chairwoman of Coordination Board of ‘Molodaya gvardiya’ All-Russian Public Organization of ‘Yedinaya Rossiya’ Party Alyona Arshinova, Chairman of Youth and Children Organizations Union of Russia Alexander Sokolov, Vice-President of Latin American Youth Organizations Julian Lugo Mendez mentioned they with great pleasure follow AYOR’s successes and its integration into the international processes. They emphasized the Organization’s huge contribution to the dialogue of civilizations and cultures, international youth dialogue, strengthening of relations between Russia and Azerbaijan.

 

Talking of the fair position of Azerbaijan in the Daghlig Garabagh conflict and heroism of Azerbaijani people, lieutenant-general Alexander Volokh said: ‘I am very glad for the rapid development of Azerbaijan’. Talking of great merits of national leader Heydar Aliyev in the formation and development of the statehood in Azerbaijan, he said: ‘Blooming and developing Azerbaijan amaze all us. However, the Azerbaijani youth cannot agree with the violation of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. The duty of the youth is to put an end to this injustice, restore sovereignty of the state’.

 

The speakers congratulated Azerbaijan on the victory in Eurovision-2011 Song Contest.

 

Representatives of the youth organizations of Moscow and regions talked of the works done.

 

The first day of the forum ended with a concert in the Petropavlovsk Castle that featured Azerbaijani and Russian pop stars.

 

June 5, the forum continued in the sections on education, science and culture, healthy lifestyle and sports, economy, business and entrepreneurship, international cooperation, youth and mass media.

 

‘Azerbaijan’ photo exhibition was opened in the lobby at Tavria Palace. Participants of the conference and visitors received books and CDs published by Heydar Aliyev Foundation, next issues of ‘AMOR’ (‘AYOR’) and ‘Baku’ magazines.



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