Ganja to organize several events next year

/By AzerTac/

By Amina Nazarli

European Youth Forum, Ganja City Executive Authority and Ganja European Capital 2016 organization have inked a memorandum of cooperation in Madrid.

The memorandum stipulates the organization of a number of events in Ganja next year. Azerbaijan's second-largest city, Ganja was awarded the European Youth Capital 2016 title in 2013.

The "European Youth Capital" is a title awarded to a city for the period of one year, during which it will be given the chance to showcase, through a multi-faceted programme, its youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development.

Ganja 2016 intends to reveal the potentials of active young people and exploit the links with European youth policies and instruments, and also reflect on the existing connections to the city, the region, and Europe as a whole.

The program will cover such priority areas as youth participation, education, social inclusion, employment, and volunteering.

The first European Youth Capital was Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 2009, followed by Torino, Italy, in 2010, Antwerp, Belgium, in 2011, Braga, Portugal, in 2012, Maribor, Slovenia, in 2013, Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2014, and Cluj Napoca, Romania, in 2015.

Some 375 km away from Baku the ancient city of Ganja is more than 4,000 years old.

The northeastern foot of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains is a picturesque place which has attracted many people across the centuries. This made the history of the region profound and captivating. Ganja is significant to the politico-economic and cultural life of the country since the earliest of times.

Ganja was also the capital of Azerbaijan, when the country first declared its independence in 1918, thus playing a leading role in the history of the country.

The region is famous for its nature, namely Goygol Lake and reserve. A large mountain lake surrounded by the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus was formed at a result of a devastating earthquake that destroyed the mountain Kapaz in the 12th century.

Despite numerous destructions during its long existence, Ganja has retained the appearance of a beautiful city with many monuments of architecture. One of the main features of the city is the Juma Mosque - Ganja central mosque.

Sport is developing in the city now that it has an Olympic Complex with its various sports equipment and infrastructures.