The Great Silk Road International Youth Congress and Festival is held in Azerbaijani capital, Baku on the initiative of the Ministry of Youth and Sport of Azerbaijan.
In his speech, Minister of Youth and Sport Azad Rahimov characterized Azerbaijan as a place uniting the cultures. The minister said modern Azerbaijan is an open country to such international events. "Azerbaijan, particularly Baku is the center uniting the West and East, Islam and Christianity. Azerbaijan should, therefore, unite the young people of the Great Silk Road countries. We want to create a new platform, a new model for uniting the young people", the Minister said.

Head of the political analysis and information department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Elnur Aslanov said this event is taking place at an important period in terms of emerging challenges and opportunities for the peace, security and development in the world. "At the same time, we should recognize and seize the opportunities that such interconnected globalized world brings to our daily life.
Azerbaijan has one of the youngest populations in the world so we understand the importance of engaging, motivating and communicating with our young generation. Today youth policy has become an integral part of the state policies. Azerbaijani youth is involved and active in all sectors of public life, play an important role in the implementation of political, economic, humanitarian and social activities. As a result of the extensive opportunities created for young people, this stratum has become a vanguard force of the society. State youth policy is a system of measures of defined priorities and implemented events by the state to facilitate the realization of knowledge and skills of young people, the effective promotion of the natural potential, in order to create the conditions to take their worthy place in society."
Aslanov also touched upon Azerbaijan's economic achievements. "In the past years the share of the market economy in our GDP has exceeded 80 per cent. Today, we can really feel the results of that development and undertaken economic reforms. In less than 10 years our GDP has tripled. Industrial production has also increased three times. The poverty level has dropped from more than 50 percent to merely single digits", he underlined.
Miklós Soltész, the Minister of State for Social, Family and Youth Affairs of Hungary, Sergei Grushchenko, the Minister of Sport and Youth of Ukraine, Ibrahim Demirel, the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport of Turkey, Nurlan Uteshov, Executive Director of the Youth Movement of Kazakhstan, Fevzi Ekrem, Iraqi MP and others also addressed the opening ceremony and said that this event would contribute to the integration of regional peoples.
Then, the event was continued in panels.
A film "Great Silk Way" will be demonstrated and panel discussions will be held in the event that will be attended by leaders and officials of more than 200 state agencies for work with youth, youth organizations, at the same time young parliament members from 25 countries.
The International Youth Organization will be founded, Baku Declaration will be adopted, the exhibition of young artists and photographers and gala-concert will be held within the Congress. The Congress is aimed to create conditions for cooperation of youth of countries situated on historical Great Silk Way with organizations working in youth sphere, creating close communication by people from various continents, religions, languages and cultures with each other, establishing and developing intercultural dialogue between the youth.
The event will last till June 30.

AzerTAc