Baku, June 25, AZERTAC

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov has met with Chairperson of the Executive Board of UNESCO Tamara Rastovac Siamashvili and Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences of the organization Gabriela Ramos.

The meeting saw discussions on the topical issues of the current cooperation agenda between Azerbaijan and UNESCO as well as initiatives put forward by Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani FM noted that Azerbaijan contributed significantly to the activity of UNESCO, development and promotion of the intercultural dialogue since becoming a member of the organization. He stressed the importance of a number of international projects as part of the “Baku Process” format initiated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Bayramov also hailed Azerbaijan’s hosting one of the prestigious events in the sphere of sports and physical education- the 7th International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS VII) from June 26 to 29, which will bring together high-ranking officials from a large number of countries.

The Azerbaijani top diplomat also briefed UNESCO officials about the current post-conflict situation in the region, the large-scale restoration and reconstruction works carried out by Azerbaijan in the liberated territories, Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process and ongoing landmine threat. He said that despite Azerbaijan’s efforts, military and political provocations by Armenia continue to be a threat to the reconstruction work and peace efforts.

Highlighting active cooperation between Azerbaijan and UNESCO, Chairperson of the Executive Board of UNESCO Tamara Rastovac Siamashvili noted that Baku’s hosting of MINEPS conference is a vivid example of this cooperation. She also expressed gratitude for Azerbaijan’s efforts towards high-level organization of the upcoming event.

Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences of the organization Gabriela Ramos provided an insight into the projects and initiatives implemented by UNESCO in the sphere of social and human sciences, including intercultural dialogue, social innovations, artificial intelligence, sporting activity and other areas.

They also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.