June 19, 2008 – Los Angeles, California

Women Leaders Gather in Baku

On June 10-11, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation jointly with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) hosted the first international forum on expanding the role of women in cross-cultural dialogue in Baku. This effort was led by Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, who concurrently serves as the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation as well as Goodwill Ambassador for both UNESCO and ISESCO.

The forum brought together over 300 distinguished participants, including first ladies of Angola, Latvia, Poland, South Africa and the State of Texas as well as wives of Turkey’s Prime Minister, Argentina’s Vice-President and other prominent guests. The U.S. delegation, which featured representatives from California, Hawaii, Illinois, Texas and the State of Washington, was among most active participants.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Aliyeva said that greater participation of women in political life can help to bridge cultural, social and economic divides. She also highlighted Azerbaijan’s experience of granting equal voting rights to both men and women already in 1918.

The forum concluded by adopting the Statement of the First Ladies and the Baku Declaration. The declaration called for women to be more involved in preserving universal human values and in promoting cross-cultural dialogue. More information is available at www.bakuforum.az

In Other News:

*On June 19, Azerbaijan’s Parliament, the Milli Meclis, marked the 90th anniversary since its establishment in 1918, when it became the first elected parliament in the Muslim world.

*President Ilham Aliyev met with his Armenian and Russian counterparts, Serj Sarkisian and Dmitri Medvedev, respectively, in St. Petersburg on June 6.

*Following an established tradition, Baku hosted 15th annual oil and gas show on June 3-6. Speaking at the opening, President Aliyev stressed Azerbaijan’s track record in using its significant resources to promote regional energy security and cooperation. He named development of human capital as the nation’s top priority.

*On June 19, visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Goli Ameri reached an agreement with Azerbaijani officials to expand bilateral academic cooperation, including the Fulbright program. Also in June, Chair of Intel’s board of directors Craig Barrett visited Baku, to discuss expanding joint projects with Azerbaijan.

*On May 25, President Aliyev met with visiting members of U.S. Congress, including California’s Adam Schiff.

*On June 6, CG Suleymanov discussed Silk Road business opportunities at an event organized in Chicago by the Central Asia Productivity Center.

*On June 14, Turkish Daily News published CG Suleymanov’s op-ed: “For Many Azerbaijanis, Karabakh is Home.”

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Azerbaijani Perspective is compiled from various news sources and is edited by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan.