Baku Forum turns Azerbaijan into a major world political platform

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

The 3rd Global Baku Forum organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre in partnership with the Azerbaijan State Committee on Work with Diaspora has turned into an important platform to discuss new world order challenges and define approaches toward resolving major problems in the world today.

The two-day Baku Forum, held on the "Building Trust in the Emerging World Order" topic, successfully finalized its work on April 29.

The 3rd Global Baku Forum, attended by influential heads of states and governments, politicians and prominent public figures is a very important place where world issues are discussed.

During the forum, participants exchanged views on a series of issues which have disturbed the world at a time when globalization has become broad – ethnic and other conflicts, terrorist threats, development of democracy, energy security, inter-religious dialogue, as well as a wide range of challenges in education, environment and other areas.

This forum saw gathered the political, scientific, intellectual and business elite.

The Global Baku Forum has become a tradition. The number of participants and the issues on the agenda have increased year by year. The 3rd Global Baku Forum was attended by more than 200 delegates from 60 countries around the world, Nizami Ganjavi International Centre said.

During the closing ceremony of the forum, Nazim Ibrahimov, the chairman of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora highlighted the discussed issues during the forum, saying the views expressed by state and governmental heads, as well as socio-political figures and their suggestions would be beneficial.

“The forum was successful. As Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev noted, the forum has already received a permanent character and will be held every year. Baku will become a major platform for discussion of the political process," Ibrahimov said.

Ismail Serageldin, director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, co-chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former Latvian president and co-chair of the Center stressed the importance of the topics discussed in the plenary sessions.

Ibrahimov said according to the relevant decision of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Ismail Serageldin and Vaira Vike-Freibergawere honored with the Gold Medal of Azerbaijan after Nizami Ganjavi.

Holding such important events in Baku and the participation of world-renowned politicians and statesmen in this event is a sign of Azerbaijan’s growing role in the international arena.

The participants of the event have highly appreciated the work of the 3rd Baku Global Shared Societies Forum, which brought together intellectuals from around the world to discuss and decide on topical problems of global importance.

“Azerbaijan has achieved great successes in all spheres: political, economic, and became a center of the Caucasus,” said Abdullah Gul, Turkey’s ex-president, on the sidelines of the forum.

Baku is a historical city which has always been at the center of international attention because of its energy capabilities, he insisted.

"Baku became a center of political and cultural events in the region," Gul said.

Azerbaijan is fast becoming a center for such international events, mainly due to President Aliyev's impetus. Azerbaijan's President has been particularly keen to promote the country and highlight its many successes, especially when it comes to multiculturalism and intercultural dialogue.

Holding such a large scale forum in Baku shows that Azerbaijan has become an important place to discuss issues of global importance and to support international projects.

Such prestigious international events are important for the formation of a new image for Azerbaijan and its people as well as to strengthen the country's place within the international community.