The 5^th Azerbaijan-Russia Youth Forum entitled “New Generation: Responsibility Without Frontier” started in Baku, December 21.

Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva attended the Forum’s opening ceremony.

First, state anthems of Azerbaijan and Russia were performed.

Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov, speaking at the Forum, talked about the state’s policy on the youth in Azerbaijan. The minister said significant measures have been taken in the country towards supporting the youth’s development, protecting their health, and ensuring that they receive proper education, and spent leisure efficiently. President Ilham Aliyev has always shown care towards the youth, paying special attention to solving their problems. The minister particularly mentioned the state programme “The Azerbaijani Youth in 2017-2021”, approved by the President’s resolution.

Underscoring that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been cooperating with 65 countries of the world in the sphere of youth and sport, Azad Rahimov said: “This year, for the first time we organized the training laboratory for great talents among juveniles in an international format. Azerbaijan has been represented in the 19^th World Festival of the Youth and Students in the city of Sochi of the Russian Federation by a big delegation.”

The minister wished successes to the Forum’s work.

Chairperson of the National Assembly’s youth and sports committee Fuad Muradov talked about the conditions created for supporting skilled, professional and talented youth in Azerbaijan, saying that the primary objective of hosting this Forum was to develop friendly relations and cooperation between the youth living in the neighbourhood.

Russia’s plenipotentiary representative in Azerbaijan Oleg Murashov noted that the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan are multilateral. Russia is Azerbaijan’s second biggest trade partner. Our cooperation is developing further.

Oleg Murashov emphasized that working with the youth is a priority issue both in Azerbaijan and in Russia. Some 15 thousand Azerbaijani citizens are studying in Russia.

Executive Director of the Youth Foundation under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Farhad Hajiyev and chairperson of the Youth Organizations National Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan Seymour Huseynov talked about the successful youth policy in the republic, fruitful cooperation between the Azerbaijani and Russian youth in all areas, and the benefits of this cooperation.

Those speaking at the event talked about the existing relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, and development in the youth sphere.

This year’s Forum is the continuation of the forums entitled “New Generation: Responsibility Without Frontier”, held in 2011 and 2012 in Baku at Azerbaijan’s initiative, and in 2013, in Russia’s Grozny city.

To continue until December 23, the Forum’s organizer is the Ministry of Youth and Sports, with co-organizers Russia’s Science and Education Ministry, the Azerbaijani Youth Organization of Russia, the National Council for Youth Organizations, and Russia’s Child and Youth Associations’ National Council.