BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 10. An event was held at the Indonesian Embassy in Azerbaijan to mark the launch and strengthening of the presence of the Pencak Silat community, a traditional Indonesian martial art, today, Trend’s correspondent reports from the event.
Pencak Silat, an indigenous martial art and intangible cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO, contributes to strengthening diplomatic relations and cross-cultural understanding between Indonesia and Azerbaijan.
Berlian Helmy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Indonesia to Azerbaijan, officially inaugurated the Azerbaijan Pencak Silat Community (APSC).
The Embassy of Indonesia in Baku officially recognizes and supports the Community as the sole body authorized to organize and oversee all Pencak Silat activities in Azerbaijan.
This step is expected to attract the full attention and support of the relevant Azerbaijani authorities and Ministries, with the aim of strengthening the sport’s legal status and developing its domestic ecosystem.
The official signing ceremony took place in Baku, attended by members of Indonesia diplomat, representatives of the sports community, and local Azerbaijani journalists.
The agenda commenced with national anthems of both countries, followed by remarks from the President of the Azerbaijan Pencak Silat Community, Magami Bayramov, and an address by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia.
In his remarks, Helmy emphasized that Pencak Silat has long been practiced as a global martial art and is regularly contested by numerous countries at international competitions.
In light of its growing international recognition, he expressed his strong hope that the Azerbaijan Pencak Silat Community would soon prepare and send its best athletes to compete and achieve success at the prestigious 21st World Pencak Silat Championship, scheduled to take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on December 5–12.
President of APSC, Magami Bayramov, expressed his highest appreciation to the Indonesian Embassy for this important recognition. According to him, this recognition would further motivate Azerbaijani athletes to strengthen the sport’s recognition and development in Azerbaijan, while also preparing themselves to compete at the World Championship in Uzbekistan.
The ceremony concluded with the reading of the official inauguration document by the organizing committee, followed by the signing of the document by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia and a group photo with the Community’s board members.
