On April 29, the official opening ceremony of the newly commissioned regional office of ICESCO in Azerbaijan was held in Baku, in the territory of the "Icherisheher" State Historical and Architectural Reserve.
EDnews reports that, the event was attended by Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva and Head of the Baku Media Center Arzu Aliyeva.
The event was also attended by Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Anar Alakbarov, Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Adil Karimli, Director General of ICESCO Salim bin Muhammad al-Maliki, Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev, President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Isa Habibbeyli, Ambassadors of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to Azerbaijan, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoti Raimkulova and ambassadors of other countries accredited in Azerbaijan, and public and political figures of Azerbaijan.
Head of the Baku office of ICESCO Abdulhakeem Alsenan expressed his gratitude to everyone who participated in this historically significant event.
Then, speaking at the event, ICESCO Director General Salim bin Mohammed al-Maliki said: “Today, we celebrate the opening of ICESCO’s new regional office, giving life to a long-held dream. It is a dream of building relationships, of cooperating, and of a future built on wisdom, knowledge, and shared purpose. Here, in the heart of Baku, a place where civilizations have converged for centuries and a cradle of peace, we are participating in the opening of a regional office that will be a center where education, science, culture, and communication, modernity, and tradition, come together in harmony.”
Salim bin Mohammed al-Maliki, emphasizing that this regional office will serve Azerbaijan and the ICESCO member states of Central Asia, while also contributing to other countries in the region, and promoting the spirit of cooperation and excellence, said: “Dear friends, this achievement was not achieved by chance. It is the fruit of true leadership, clear vision and a continuous commitment to a better future. We express our sincere gratitude to the leader, His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev, whose brilliant wisdom and deep belief in the power of knowledge shine like a light for us all. His continuous support has made this vision a reality.
Today, we would like to thank Her Excellencies Leyla and Arzu, who joined the event as guests of honor, for their respectful welcome and for the great support they have shown to ICESCO and Heydar Aliyev. We express our sincere gratitude to them for being true champions of cooperation between the Foundation and the International Monetary Fund.”
Stressing that this office will be a special office, Salim bin Mohammed al-Maliki said: “This office will operate differently. It will have different ideas. It will achieve its goals differently. It will be a living heart that beats with a strong spirit of cooperation with our member states, reflecting the rhythms of new partnerships in the fields of education, culture, science, and communication.
In addition to developing ICESCO’s strategic goals and objectives, the Baku office will serve the following goals: to protect our environment wisely and urgently, to further develop artificial intelligence to serve humanity, to focus on our youth, who are the architects of tomorrow, and to preserve the spirit of our valuable heritage and identity. Inspiring projects and new ideas will be created in this office. Here, bonds will be formed that strengthen ties between countries and generations.
As ICESCO, we choose to build this center with dreams, wisdom, and knowledge. This new regional office will bring together dreamers, including the leaders who make this possible, with dignity, knowledge, culture, peace and especially a beacon that calls for joint work in shaping the future, guides them and illuminates their paths. I assure you once again that this office will be the seed of a mighty tree whose roots are wisdom, whose branches are peace, and whose fruits are a legacy of hope for future generations”.
Later, a video clip about the history of ICESCO and the bilateral relations established with Azerbaijan was shown at the event.Finally, Leyla Aliyeva wrote her heartfelt words in the office’s book of memories.
Madina Mammadova\\EDnews
