BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 26. Six forums have been held within the framework of the Baku Process so far, and this year, Azerbaijan marks the 15th anniversary of the forums, Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Farid Jafarov said on Monday at a press conference dedicated to the 7th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, which will be held from October 27 through 29, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
“The first forum was held in 2011. Since then, the scale of the forums and the range of participants have expanded. This platform has brought together governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, media representatives, youth, and religious leaders,” he remarked.
Jafarov noted that this year’s forum is dedicated to the theme ‘Building Bridges in a Fragmented World’.
“The theme was determined by taking into account the ongoing inequalities and conflicts between countries and various groups within society. The goal is to bring together different segments of society, as well as representatives from governments and international organizations, to discuss common issues,” he added.
The deputy minister pointed out that the forum will officially begin on October 27. However, events within the framework of the forum are already underway.
“The initial objective of the ‘Baku Process’ was to bring together ministers of culture from Eastern and European countries in Baku to hold consultations on cultural matters.” He stated that Azerbaijan is prepared to share its experience in the restoration of cultural heritage in the liberated territories with the rest of the world.
According to the deputy minister, Azerbaijan, which is currently undertaking the restoration of cultural heritage destroyed in the territories liberated following the conflict, intends to share its experience in this field with its international partners.
“One of the forum’s panels will be dedicated to Azerbaijan’s experience in restoring tangible and intangible cultural heritage in conflict-affected regions. We wish to share this experience with the world. We also seek the support of our international partners for this approach, so that other regions affected by or emerging from conflict may benefit from it,” emphasized Jafarov.
He noted that six objectives have been established for the forum, the most significant of which is the strengthening of cross-sectoral partnerships.
“At times, we observe a lack of sufficient cross-sectoral partnership between various segments of society and decision-makers. Expanding opportunities for future generations is also among the forum’s objectives,” the deputy minister added.
