ITAR-TASS deputy director: No language barrier in Azerbaijan, it was neither in soviet period nor at present

“Azerbaijan is among the CIS countries, which is traditionally friendly to Russia”, the Russian tribuna.ru internet newspaper quoted the ITAR-TASS deputy director general Michael Gusman as saying, on the eve of the First Azerbaijan-Russian Forum underway in Baku on humanitarian cooperation.

“It is high time to hold large forums in frameworks of such kind relations. In Azerbaijan, there are no language barriers, and it was neither in the Soviet period, nor at present. In Azerbaijan, they treat respectfully the Russian language. And this forum, too, will pass in Russian”, he underlined.

According to M. Gusman, the idea of carrying out of the said Forum came from Vitaly Ignatenko, director general of ITAR-TASS, and Michael Shvydkoy, special representative of the President of the Russian Federation on interstate and cultural cooperation.

Michael Gusman, in particular, said: “This idea was warmly praised by the Azerbaijani side and, first of all, President Ilham Aliyev, who took immediately the Forum under his patronage.

Though he is young, but perfectly remembers, how useful similar meetings in the Soviet period were. At that time, such large-scale actions were carried out regularly because were effective. Such form of communication is important as the people start to understand each other better”.

“It would be desirable to hope that the Forum will justify expectations of its participants and will give a new impetus to development of our relations. And the next Forum will pass in Russia. The delegation includes about 150 people. They are deputies of the State Duma, senators and heads of mass media, men of art and culture, scientists, public figures, educators. Representatives of culture will hold master classes in Baku, teachers will meet audiences at universities, exchange views, and the group of actors of the Bolshoi Theatre will join the concerts. That is, it will be a dialogue on interests, professional and humanitarian”, M.Gusman has noted.

/AzerTac/