BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 6. Leyla Aliyeva visited the Baku International Multiculturalism Center (BIMC), Trend reports.
BIMC Executive Director Ravan Hasanov briefed Leyla Aliyeva on the Center’s activities. He noted that the Center, established in 2014 by an order of President Ilham Aliyev, implements important projects aimed at studying, preserving, and promoting Azerbaijan’s model of multiculturalism at the international level, while also cooperating with international organizations. Each year, the Center organizes international conferences, scientific seminars, roundtables, and forums. Scholars, researchers, experts, and public figures from various countries participate in these events to discuss multiculturalism, interreligious dialogue, and intercultural cooperation.
Based on President Ilham Aliyev’s initiative to promote Azerbaijan as a center of multiculturalism worldwide, the Center is implementing a project to teach the subject “Azerbaijani Multiculturalism” at local and foreign universities. Within this project, the course has been taught at 27 leading universities around the world. At the same time, the subject is taught at the master’s level in nearly 40 universities across the country, while “Introduction to Multiculturalism” is taught as a core subject at the bachelor’s level in higher education institutions.
The Center pays special attention to publishing books, monographs, scientific articles, methodological materials, and historical maps related to Azerbaijan’s history and culture, as well as the proceedings of local and international conferences organized by BIMC. The Center also prepares books in the languages of ethnic minorities living in Azerbaijan. These publications are presented both domestically and in the international academic community.
A film about the Center’s activities was then screened, and Leyla Aliyeva familiarized herself with its publications.
Leyla Aliyeva emphasized the importance of projects aimed at preserving and promoting Azerbaijan’s multicultural values worldwide. She particularly praised conferences dedicated to Islamophobia, antisemitism, and xenophobia, as well as efforts to promote Azerbaijan’s Christian heritage internationally. She also noted that the emphasis placed on working with young people within the Center’s activities plays an important role in promoting Azerbaijani multiculturalism. At the same time, she highlighted the Center’s significant contribution to fostering understanding and intercultural dialogue among different peoples.
Leyla Aliyeva also spoke with the Center’s staff and posed for photos with them.
Leyla Aliyeva is a member of the Board of Guardians of the Baku International Multiculturalism Center.
