How is the Baku International Multiculturalism Centre strengthening Azerbaijan’s efforts to preserve diversity?
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00:00 The multiculturalism in Azerbaijan is not just a concept, it's our way of life.
00:13 Because Azerbaijan is located between Eastern Europe and West Asia in the middle of Silk
00:18 Road, multicultural values come from the history and diversity existed here for centuries.
00:25 I mean ethnic diversity, religious diversity and linguistic diversity.
00:30 As a center of multiculturalism, our main goal for sure is to preserve the diversity
00:35 in Azerbaijan, linguistic, religious and cultural diversity in Azerbaijan.
00:39 This is the main goal.
00:40 But globally we are initiating the projects intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
00:45 And in this direction we are working absolutely with the prominent foreign experts and Azerbaijani
00:49 experts.
00:50 It's an international institution.
00:52 We have nine branches all around the world.
00:55 We are teaching multiculturalism as a subject in all Azerbaijani universities and we are
01:00 teaching this subject in 26 world universities also.
01:04 We are fighting in a global level negative trends like Islamophobia, antisemitism, extremism.
01:13 The Pew Research Center publicated reports that in 2018 in the world there is 80 terror
01:20 acts based on religious issues.
01:23 Every year the situation is going worse and worse.
01:26 In the world there is 198 independent countries.
01:30 There is more than 2,000 nations with different backgrounds, different languages and beliefs.
01:35 We need to create 2,000 independent states or we have to learn how to live together in
01:40 a peaceful coexistence.
01:42 For the internal stability you need to realize a policy, peaceful coexistence and give the
01:48 chance all the nations living in your country to have the same rights, equal rights and
01:55 equal possibility to preserve their languages, cultures and beliefs.
02:00 In Azerbaijan we are realizing implementing this policy successfully.
02:05 That's why we are trying to show an example that it's possible to live in a peaceful coexistence.
02:11 Not only the government institution and government themselves trying to keep this balance but
02:16 the communities also interested.
02:18 Muslims, Jews, Christians or ethnic minorities organized some events and they invited the
02:25 government institution to participate to this event.
02:29 It's a tradition in Azerbaijan in the period of Ramadan Christians, Jewish people also
02:34 participated in the celebrations.
02:37 Also Muslim communities participated, the Christian holidays.
02:40 So the initiated Muslim coming from the society, NGOs, government institutions, universities,
02:47 schools, society.
02:50 All sides have to be interested to live in a peaceful coexistence.
02:54 [Music]