Baku, June 29 (AZERTAC). An international forum on "Dialogue of cultures in the conditions of globalization" has kicked off in Azerbaijan`s capital at the initiative of head of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation`s Russian representation Leyla Aliyeva.

Before the start of the event its participants visited the Alley of Honors to lay flowers at the graves of national leader Heydar Aliyev and outstanding ophthalmologist Zarifa Aliyeva. The forum`s participants also visited the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

The Baku forum, which commemorates national leader Heydar Aliyev, is a follow-up to last year`s conference in Moscow.

The forum was opened by Mahmud Karimov, president of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), who praised national leader Heydar Aliyev`s role in developing science and culture in the country.

“The national leader`s policy is today being successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev. The President signed a State Program on implementation of national strategy on development of science in the country in 2009-2015.

Karimov stressed the necessity of developing contacts between Azeri and Russian scientists.

Abdusalam Huseynov, Director of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences said: "We appreciate cultural diversity. We must try to keep it going in the context of globalization. I hope that the forum will contribute to resolving such issues. I note with great pleasure that the number of contacts between Azerbaijani and Russian scientists are rapidly developing in the post-Soviet space. We should increase and develop these contacts in the future."

Nargiz Pashayeva, Rector of the Moscow State University`s Baku branch, said: “The dialogue of cultures is especially actual in the 21st century since the need for common approaches to the resolution of most urgent humanitarian, social, moral and cultural, ethic and economic problems is especially strong now.”

“The scientists should combine efforts to propose solutions on how to cope with challenges facing the modern society and people. Such events are also important for strengthening international and human ties," said Pashayeva.

Other speakers at the event included Yuri Pompeyev, a Russian scholar, Ilham Mammadov, Director of the ANAS Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law, Alexander Chumakov, head of the philosophy department at the Finance Academy under the President of Russia, Nizami Mammadov, a UNESCO expert, and Sevda Mammadaliyeva, Azeri minister of culture and tourism.

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