Baku, July 31, AZERTAC

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center Mechtild Rössler have sent letters of gratitude to the Government of Azerbaijan, hailing the excellent organization of the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Baku.

In her letter, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay praised Azerbaijan for excellently hosting this prestigious UNESCO event and thanked for the preparations made, the organization of the session, and the effective management of the meetings of the 43rd Session of the World Heritage Committee.

The Director General noted that she enjoyed visiting the Gobustan Reserve during her stay in Baku: “I am personally very delighted to discover the rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan in the fore type of Gobustan and to witness the efforts made by the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture towards the preservation and promotion of this site”.

Audrey Azoulay also invited the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan to participate in the Forum of Ministers of Culture ahead of the 40th Session of the General Conference to be held by UNESCO on November 19, 2019.

“I left Baku amid the dynamically developing relations between UNESCO and Azerbaijan, and I was very pleased for this. I am once again convinced that I can always count on your support,” the letter concluded.

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Letter by Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center Mechtild Rössler also commended Azerbaijan for excellently hosting this important event, saying that many issues on the agenda of the Baku session were resolved in a timely and successful manner. On behalf of her colleagues at the World Heritage Center, Rössler said: "We appreciate the magnificent atmosphere of the meetings, the professionalism, the generosity of the staff, the high level of service and the warm attitude of the people who coordinated the meetings,” the Director of WHC said.

Rössler invited the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan to attend the 22nd General Assembly of States Parties of the World Heritage Convention to be held on November 27-28 at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The meeting will feature a report on the activities of the Committee by the chairman of the 43rd Session of the World Heritage Committee.

Rössler thanked the Government of Azerbaijan for its continued cooperation and support for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

The 43rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee was held in Baku from June 30 to July 10, 2019. Azerbaijan is a member of the World Heritage Committee since 2015 and chairs the Committee in 2019. The 43rd session was chaired by the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan.

The session was attended by over 2,500 delegates from over 180 countries, including ministers, senior officials, as well as heads and officials of international organizations. It saw the inscription of 29 new sites on the World Heritage List.