OFFICIAL NEWS
TO PARTICIPANTS OF THE 1ST INT’L RUSSIAN BOOK FESTIVAL IN BAKU
Warmly welcoming you on the AzerbaijanI land, I wish to express confidence that your festival can become a true holiday for all admirers of the Russian literature. Carrying out of such festival in Baku after the World Congress of Russian Press and Anniversary of ITAR-TASS is for us a bright evidence of efficiency of our cooperation.
In the world heritage, the Great Russian literature takes a special place. Many Azerbaijanis keep memory both about fine instants of acquaintance with Russian classics and the meetings with modern writers and poets of Russia who came to our country in various years.
Azerbaijan is a unique country, where in the last three years in general were re-published over one million books of Russian classics. Though these translations from Pushkin and Lermontov, Gogol and Dostoevsky, Turgenev and Tolstoy have been carried out many years ago they for the first time were published for the modern reader on the Latin script. This is evidence to what place has gained the Russian classical literature in educational space of Azerbaijan that could keep both Russian-speaking schools and education in Russian in all high schools of the country.
I am confident the Days will leave indelible trace in hearts of all participants of Festival and will find worthy continuation in new Azeri-Russian humanitarian initiatives. Happiness, health and successes to all of you.
Deep respect,
Ilham Aliyev,
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku, 15 September 2006