Azerbaijan, Baku, April 29 /Trend, S.Agayeva/
At the invitation of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Azerbaijani Ambassador to the U.S. Yashar Aliyev made a speech at a special event held as part of the annual conference of the organization, the embassy reported. The presentation was attended by senior representatives of the Jewish community in the U.S.
The meeting was opened by Committee chairman Richard Saydman and executive director David Harris. They were warmly welcomed by the Azerbaijani ambassador, stressing the ancient traditions of tolerance in Azerbaijan, in particular with regard to large Jewish community. Friendship between Azerbaijan and Israel and the particular importance of Baku as a strategic partner for the United States and Israel have been stressed.
In his speech, the ambassador spoke about the history of Azerbaijani Jews, ethnic and religious tolerance of Azerbaijanis, strong links between the Azerbaijani and Jewish peoples, noting the increasing comprehensive and multifaceted relations between Azerbaijan and Israel. The diplomat also spoke about the current state of relations between Azerbaijan and the United States, Azerbaijan's contribution to efforts in safeguarding peace in Afghanistan, the key role of the country in the region and its importance for energy security of Europe.
Yashar Aliyev drew the audience's attention to the ongoing occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, legal and moral responsibility of the international community to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the return of a million of Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons to their native lands.
Founded in 1906, the American Jewish Committee is one of the influential Jewish community in the USA with offices in 32 US cities and 8 foreign missions.
The conference of this year involved US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Maxime Verhagen, as well as several other officials of the United States and Europe.