Baku, May 3, AZERTAC

The program of events within the “Ganja European Youth Capital 2016” project was disclosed. The project will be officially presented on May 4.

The presentation will be attended by officials of the Presidential Administration, representatives of the central executive authorities, the European Youth Forum, the cities which were in previous years “The European Youth Capitals”, the Network of the European Youth Capitals and also the local and foreign youth organizations.

The ceremony of opening of the project will take place at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Participants of action will lay flowers at the monument to the national leader Heydar Aliyev established in the center of Ganja, and revere memory of the outstanding personality.

Then, participants will take part at the opening ceremony of the House of Youth in the city of Ganja and office of Public Association "Ganja European Youth Capital -2016", will get acquainted with the exhibitions "Ancient Ganja" on Javad Khan Street, and also the Ganjachay Park Boulevard. The “Ancient Ganja” exhibition will showcase the scenes representing national cultural values of Azerbaijani people, the best samples of national ethnic cuisine and clothes, folk art, crafts. A concert program with participation of dance groups of the city and professional musicians will be arranged in the park "Ganja European Youth Capital - 2016".

On May 5, the meeting of the Network of the European Youth Capitals will take place. Thy meeting will be addressed by the chief executive of the city of Ganja, the chairman of Public Association "Ganja European Youth Capital -2016", the Secretary General of the Network of the European Youth Capitals, and also representatives of the cities which were in previous years "The European Youth Capitals of Europe".

Afterwards, the Heydar Aliyev Center will see presentation of women programs.

The European Youth Capitals project has been for the first time put forward by the European Youth Forum in 2009. The purpose of the project is development of the international cooperation of the local and foreign youth organizations, and also exchange of experience among national youth organizations of the countries whose cities were elected the European Youth Capitals.

It should be noted that the European Youth Capital (EYC) is a title granted to a European city for a period of one year. During this period, it is given the chance to showcase its youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development.

Ganja won over rival bids from Vilnius (Lithuania), Varna (Bulgaria), Galway (Ireland), La Laguna (Spain) and Badajoz (Spain).

The first European Youth Capital was Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 2009, followed by Torino (Italy), Antwerp (Belgium), Braga (Portugal), Maribor (Slovenia), Thessaloniki (Greece) and Cluj-Napoca (Romania).

A symbolic key of European Youth Capital has been delivered to Azerbaijan’s Ganja from the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.