ABULFAS GARAYEV: "UNESCO FACT-FINDING MISSION WILL VISIT NAGORNO KARABAKH AFTER THE POLITICAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA"

APA
Sept 14 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Ulkar Gasimova – APA. Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture and
Tourism Abulfas Garayev’s interview to APA

– What a year of Baku – Islamic Cultural Capital bring to Azerbaijan?

– It demonstrated to the world that Azerbaijan is a part of Islamic
Culture and plays important role in its protection. On the other hand,
Azerbaijan’s experience, achievements and people proved that modern,
new and progressive culture and society can be built on the basis
of Islamic Culture. These events are important for popularization
of Azerbaijan’s culture and history. The international conferences
and round tables organized in Azerbaijan created opportunities
to address the problems left in shadow and to realize measures for
their solution. This year plays important role in the popularization
of Azerbaijan’s cultural potential, rich history and cultural values
in the world. Our ministry, other government organizations and public
community have to work actively to fulfill duties arisen from the year
of Baku – Islamic Cultural Capital. We achieved our goals and started
to hold series of events beginning from January, 2009. Azerbaijan
is situated in the geopolitical and geographical space where the
different cultures are crossing. Our goal is to show Azerbaijan as an
example for cross-culture dialogue. First Mugham Festival organized
in Azerbaijan by Mehriban Khanum Aliyeva was a summit of these events.

– How do you see removal of mosques in Baku in the year of Islamic
Cultural Capital?

– Everything should be within the law. If some buildings were
constructed illegally, necessary measures must be taken against it. If
the mosque or other building was constructed within the law, it will
never be removed. Azerbaijani people have immense respect for their
religion. I believe there will not be such cases in future because
the supremacy of law will be secured.

– Is there any program for restoration of historical and cultural
monuments destroyed in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan?

– All of our society is eagerly waiting for restoration of territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan. We are keen to restore historical and cultural
monuments of Azerbaijan. We have never seen Karabakh and other occupied
regions out of our projects. Karabakh and other occupied regions were
approved as a special zone during the determination of tourism places
of Azerbaijan. We have special plans for development of tourism
in those territories. But it must be analyzed at first after the
liberation of those lands. We receive information from the different
sources and we know that historical and cultural monuments, shrines,
mosques and other architectural monuments in those territories are
in bad situation. Probably it will take time to analyze it and only
after that we will make decision on the work to be done there. We
have preliminary plan, but we can’t prepare seriously without real
facts. Azerbaijani architects and historians will express their
opinion after the political agreement.

– Why UNESCO fact-finding mission and Council of Europe Commission
for Education, Science and Culture couldn’t realize their plans to
visit Nagorno Karabakh?

– We are waiting for this mission for three years, but they delay
visit under the different pretexts. We want this visit to be realized
soon. Probably the opposite side fears to show real situation
and creates to prevent this mission. Of course, the international
organizations should make balanced decision considering interests
of both sides. We prepared materials and documents to submit to the
mission, but unfortunately they didn’t realize the visit. I think it
will take place only after the political agreement between Azerbaijan
and Armenia.

– Is the process of re-elaboration of Culture Law started and what
new is expected?

– The law was adopted in Azerbaijan in 1998 and has not been changed
since than. Many things have been changed in Azerbaijan in the
past period. The law should contain both realities of Azerbaijan
and cultural processes in the world, new terminology, ideas and
aspects, because Azerbaijan is a member of international family. The
law should be elaborated with participation of public community. We
consider discussions on cultural strategy of Azerbaijan at first. The
elaboration of law is a multistage process. The present Culture Law
doesn’t contain anything related to show business, but we need to
modernize the law that this sphere also gets opportunity for activity
within the law.

– There were scandals elated to honorable titles. Even there were
some interested points in one of the trials…

– Fortunately, the officials mentioned in this process have no relation
to the culture. I am taking the ministerial post for more than three
years. I make you sure that I and people working with me never be close
to the persons receiving honorable titles. I received only thanks and
nothing else. Those, who intend for the titles and don’t receive it,
are making such claims. I believe that awarding of honorable titles
was fair process as other orders issued by the head of state. There
are new generations, new singers, new performers and cultural figures
in Azerbaijan and the process will be going on. We have enough forces
to value the activity of cultural figures, artists and writers. We
don’t need in outside recommendations.

– It seems you consider the awarding of honorable titles as normal?

– When I was appointed the minister of culture and tourism, I said that
I was against the honorable titles. But there is a tradition today and
it doesn’t need to stop it. It is a value giving to the activity of
people and also material and spiritual support for them. The creative
people are interested that their activity is valued. This is a right
tactic in the present situation.

– What about the launching of cultural TV channel?

– We have to be completely ready for launching of high-level TV
channel. Recently the TV channels give much attention and time to
the culture. We can pen the cultural TV channel in year or two. It
has to cover cinema, creative work, the problem of critique, theories
and other issues.

– When will you start planting of park of destroyed monuments?

– The work was started already. We started qualification and
registration of all architectural monuments. The Baku Executive
Power and State Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning should
allocate place for that park. Then we will collect those statues in
this park that the people can visit and analyze it. We are expected
to solve the issue within a month.

– Are the results of contest for Independence Monument known?

– Unfortunately I can give positive answer because there are no
projects describing Azerbaijan’s independence from the view of
sculpture, architecture and philosophy. We chose best projects,
but didn’t announce winner. We are talking this issue with well-known
intellectuals of the country. We are negotiating with German architects
and sculptors too.

– The European Broadcasting Union addressed the issue of inviting
the Azerbaijani voters for Armenians at the Eurovision 2009 for
testimony. Does this factor impact on Azerbaijan’s future in this
contest?

– I don’t understand who are those Azerbaijani voters supported
Armenians and why they did that. It is an illogical step. On the
other hand, only newspapers reported about their testimony. I think
Armenia is interested in disqualification of Azerbaijan from the
contest. The contest should meet every taste. But honest Azerbaijani
people should never vote for the representatives of Armenia, which
occupied our lands.

– The season of travel is ending. Is the number of tourist arriving
in the country increased?

– There was little increase. The developing tourism infrastructure gave
great impetus to the development of tourism in Azerbaijan. Hotel prices
dropped 20 percent for local population as a result of concurrence.

– Why prices of Azerbaijan’s tourism facilities are higher than
world standards?

-This is free market. If the prices don’t drop, it means there is an
enough requirement. The investors should focus on the construction of
larger hotels in Azerbaijan. I think we have to start the development
of tourism industry with construction of three-star hotels. More than
50 hotels are constructed in Azerbaijan and most of them meet standards
of four- and five-star hotels. Therefore the prices are higher.

– Does the ministry control hotel prices in Azerbaijan?

– We determine only star-level of the hotels, but not the prices. Every
hotel has own price list and we can change the prices only through
the extension of infrastructure within the concurrence.

– How many hotels were closed this year?

– We published the list of hotels closed for unlicensed
activity. Nearly 40 hotels were closed. 10 of them seriously took it
into consideration and appealed for license.

– What do you think about removal of hotels Absheron, Moscow and
Azerbaijan, which were good examples of architecture of that time?

– It is logical to remove and reconstruct the hotels, to make them
according to modern standards. The hotels built in Soviet time
couldn’t be modernized because there were no opportunities for new
communication, ventilation and heating systems. Today new hotels are
constructed in their places.