Baku, November 13, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Ilyas Umakhanov, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Melikov, Chairman of the People's Assembly of Dagestan Khizri Shikhsaidov and Advisor to the Chairman of the People's Assembly of Dagestan Magomed Kurbanov.

Welcoming the guests, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Good to see you again. You are welcome!

I am very glad that you will be attending an important event – the Summit of World Religions. This is a very important event for our country. And I think it is for all participants. I am very glad that the Russian Federation is represented at a very high level, at the level of leadership of the Federation Council, the leadership of fraternal Dagestan. His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill is also expected to attend, as well as many guests from different countries. I think that this event will give a good impetus to the further development of intercultural dialogue, a dialogue of civilizations.

As you know, Azerbaijan hosts many events of this nature: the Baku Humanitarian Forum, which is held regularly under the patronage of the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, the traditional Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, which is supported by international organizations, including the UN, UNESCO and others. Thus, Azerbaijan has long been a venue for humanitarian events that bring people together, bring together representatives of various religions.

But of course, it is also a good opportunity to talk about bilateral issues. It is quite extensive and high-level contacts are giving a very powerful impetus to the development of our relations. I had several meetings with President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. I specifically remember the meeting during the "One belt, one way" conference in Beijing. Despite a very busy schedule, we took the time to talk about many issues with great detail. And the invitation of the Russian President to participate in the Valdai Forum is also perceived as a sign of respect for us, a sign of good attitude. I also met with the President of Russia also within the framework of the forum, as we continued discussions on the bilateral agenda.

Of course, your delegation led by Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, which visited us in spring, also gave a good impetus to our relations in the inter-parliamentary direction, on the bilateral agenda as a whole. So I think it is a good opportunity to go over important issues once again and, of course, I am glad to see representatives of fraternal Dagestan represented by Khizri Isayevich, Magomed and you — we are seeing each other for the first time. Welcome, and, of course, our dear brother Ilyas also represents the fraternal land for us.

You are welcome again!

Х Х Х

The Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Ilyas Umakhanov said:

- Dear Ilham Heydarovich, thank you for taking the time to meet with the Russian delegation, which, by coincidence, turns out to be mainly from Dagestan. At the same time, I want to note that it was, of course, very important for us to take part in the Summit of the Leaders of World Religions. This is the second summit. I was lucky to take part in the first summit. We will observe the progress of this Summit with great respect and interest because the 137th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in St. Petersburg put forward an initiative to hold a World Conference of Heads of Parliaments. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to hold this conference in Russia on 21 May 2022. The President of the Russian Federation approved this conference on ethnic and interfaith issues. Therefore, it is, of course, extremely important for us to participate in the second summit, to observe its progress.

At the same time, I want to say that we look forward to the visit of the First Vice-President, esteemed Mehriban Aliyeva, to Moscow. There will be an opening of the “Azerbaijan” pavilion at the Exhibition of Economic Achievements, and the Interregional Forum will also be held.