Foreign

Foreign

Strasbourg Forum of Azerbaijani Alumni and Youth Studying Abroad starts - UPDATED

Strasbourg Forum of Azerbaijani Alumni and Youth Studying Abroad starts - <font color=red> UPDATED</font>

11 March 2011 16:09 (UTC +04:00)

The meeting is being held on the theme Azerbaijan 20 - Visions 2020, APAâ€™s Europe bureau reports. Azerbaijanâ€™s Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov, department chief of the Presidential Administration Elnur Aslanov, Azerbaijanâ€™s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe Arif Mammadov, chairman of the State Oil Fund Shahmar Movsumov, ambassadors accredited at the European countries, parliamentarians and media chiefs are attending the event.

Co-founder of ASAIF Orkhan Akbarov said 150 students from 25 countries are attending the event.

Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov said Azerbaijan attaches importance to the youth policy. He said it is of great importance that the Azerbaijani students are meeting in Strasbourg, one of the political centers of Europe. He said a special program is being implemented for Azerbaijanisâ€™ studying abroad, noted that a lot of young persons are represented in the diplomatic corps, 30 percent of the municipality members of the country are youth.

Deryal Batibey, permanent representative of Turkey, which is chairing the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, wished success to the forum and said it is a good opportunity for discussion among the students.

Head of Azerbaijani parliament’s delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov who attended the event said that Azerbaijan achieved the progresses in the way of democracy during 20 years. He informed the youth about the conditions established in the country.

In his speech, Department Head of Administration of the Azerbaijani President Elnur Aslanov noted the importance of Azerbaijani students to get education abroad. He informed the attendees about the countryâ€™s development dynamics, the economical and political reforms carried out in the country.

Aslanov said that Azerbaijan was independent country and approved in the international community. He said that Azerbaijan establishes relations with all countries basing on independent and bilateral, mutual respect: â€œAzerbaijan is always open to the mutual and equilateral relationsâ€.

President of State Oil Fund Shahmar Movsumov, deputy education ministry Elmar Gasimov and the others attended the forum.