Meeting with Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay

First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mehriban Aliyeva met with Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay.

First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva thanked UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay for visiting Azerbaijan to attend the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Baku. Stressing the importance of the fact that the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee is held in Baku, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mehriban Aliyeva expressed confidence that Audrey Azoulay`s attention to this event will make a significant contribution to the session`s success. Mehriban Aliyeva hailed the successful development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and UNESCO in many fields, including cultural, scientific, educational and other areas. “It`s been a great pleasure and honour for me to be a member of the UNESCO family at the joint meetings and major international events throughout these years,” said Mehriban Aliyeva. The First Vice-President noted that this year will celebrate the 27th anniversary of the bilateral cooperation and expressed confidence that a very successful collaboration will be built in preserving world cultural heritage in the future. The UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador underlined that the preservation of cultural, historical and religious heritage became one of the top priorities of Azerbaijan`s state policy after the restoration of the country`s independence. She pointed out that several outstanding international forums and events have successfully been organized in Azerbaijan in partnership with UNESCO in recent years. Expressing confidence that the UNESCO Director-General`s visit to Azerbaijan will be successful, Mehriban Aliyeva expressed her hope that Audrey Azoulay will be closely acquainted with Azerbaijan and Baku and feel the hospitality of the Azerbaijani people.

Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay recalled her meeting with Mehriban Aliyeva at the headquarters of the organization in Paris and praised the fact that among the member countries Azerbaijan hosts the session of the World Heritage Committee, which is the most important event for UNESCO. The UNESCO Director-General said that delegates of all countries will come together in Baku in the coming days to discuss issues that are crucial for protecting the world heritage. Audrey Azoulay thanked for holding this session, which is important for UNESCO and will bring together nearly 2,500 participants.

First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva and Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay then had a joint dinner.