On May 23, 2018, International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) , founder of Eurasia Education Center, held an open lecture with the participation of an Associate Professor N. Selin Senocak, Political Scientist, Chair Holder of UNESCO Cultural Diplomacy, the President of the New East Foundation in Turkey Atilgan Bayar and a member of the Union of Azerbaijani Writers Elchin Mirzabeyli.
The topic for discussion was cultural diplomacy and nation branding on the sample of the EU, USA, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.
More than (20) people from different schools and universities, a number of young diplomats, researchers, academicians, journalists, political scientists and a special guest from Russia Anar Sadykhov attended the event.
The president of the IEPF Umud Mirzayev welcomed the guests and introduced the key speakers.
Associate Professor Selin Senocak started with a presentation “From Cultural Imperialism to Nation Branding: The Challenge of EU Cultural Diplomacy”.
She talked about the positive and negative aspects of cultural diplomacy in peacebuilding processes, which makes a threat to stability in the world. She started with a presentation on how cultural diplomacy may influence the states in the future perspective. “Cultural diplomacy is a main component to make people to be integrated into different societies. This diplomacy should be very seriously taken into consideration from different angles” she told.
She also spoke on how western cultural diplomacy is hidden behind the false scene in some cases. “We have witnessed many cases when different interested groups were standing behind the claims about human rights and freedom of speech, with the double standards' approach. This is just one of the pressure types which involves a number of international agencies and media industries as well,” Selin finished.
Immediately after a member of the Union of Azerbaijani Writers Elchin Mirzabeyli spoke about the influence of secular and non secular western inclination on regional policy in the cultural affairs. “Each culture has its own positive and negative sides of affiliation. Our role is to understand and accept positive and to avoid negative one which makes people follow the false direction”, he said.
On his own side, the President of the New East Foundation in Turkey Atilgan Bayar highlighted the secular and non secular aspects in cultural diplomacy. He also spoke about the importance of multilateral coordination for prevention the brainwashing.
The IEPF President Umud Mirzayev paid attention to the double standards policy and incorporate interests, which made the super powers as deaf and blind about the real facts. It obviously plays a negative role in cultural diplomacy. He emphasized the importance of peace integration for the rebuilding of trust and dissemination of objective information.
The participants of the seminar showered the guests with questions, trying to draw as much as possible from their local and international experience.
At the end of the seminar, the participants made a joint group photo for memory.
It should be noted that the Eurasia Education Center was established under the auspices of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), the international organization in general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
