A panel session on the theme “Strengthening of confidence, promotion of cultural exchange and dialogue was held as part of the international conference of the Silk Road Support Group of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Baku on March 13.

Axar.az informs addressing the session, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev spoke about the development of tourism in the country.

The minister also informed the conference participants about the destruction of cultural monuments in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Head of the Moldovan delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Serghei Sirbu, head of the Bulgarian delegation to the OSCE PA Desislava Atanasova, member of the Macedonian delegation to the OSCE PA Jagoda Shahpaska, member of the French delegation to the OSCE PA Pascal Allizard, member of the Kyrgyz delegation to the OSCE PA Emil Toktashev and others spoke about the importance of cultural relations and the development of cultural diversity in the development of Silk Road projects.

The international conference ended with the adoption of a Baku Declaration.

The declaration reads as follows:

“We, the participants of the International Conference dedicated to "the role of parliamentarians in boosting economic cooperation and cultural ties along the Silk Road” held in Baku on March 13-14, 2018, jointly organized by the Silk Road Support Group in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Milli Mejlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Taking into account the importance of the restoration (revitalization) GEO of the Ancient Silk Road, [as well as the (RO)] conformity of the efficient operation of the existing transport and energy GEO corridors, and the free and safe mobility of passengers, goods and services through the "Modern Silk Road" with the national interests of the countries of the OSCE region and the objectives of sustainable economic development,

Noting the importance of supporting the efforts of Governments to develop and strengthen economic, trade, transport, social and cultural relations among countries that are located along the Ancient Silk Road and that can benefit from the restoration (revitalization GEO) of that road,

Recognizing the importance of parliamentarians’ assistance to implement, in line with the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, as well as relevant legal frameworks and OSCE commitments, the projects aimed at safeguarding peace, security and human rights, ensuring sustainable development and social well-being in the OSCE region, including the goal of enhancing connectivity between Europe and Asia, in accordance with the OSCE Hamburg Ministerial Decision no. 4/16 on “Strengthening Good Governance and Promoting Connectivity” (2016) – RO the project of restoration of the Ancient Silk Road, declare the following:

1. We fully support the governments' efforts to restore the ancient Silk Road.

2. We will do our best to contribute to the expansion and promotion of cooperation among the economic entities, including the business enterprises of the countries represented by the parliamentarians of the Silk Road Support Group.

3. We will support governments’ efforts towards developing sustainable, secure and flexible transport and energy GEO corridors and upgrading their functionality, and assist to study and disseminate best practices in this area.

4. We urge the governments to attach special importance to the development of effective transport corridors, transit networks and logistics infrastructure within the restoration of the Ancient Silk Road connecting European and Asian continents.

5. We support the initiatives taken to boost strengthen GEO cultural relations, mutual understanding and dialogue among the countries represented by the parliamentarians of the Silk Road Support Group, including “Belt and Road Travel Facilitation” initiative undertaken by Mongolia.

6. We support initiatives enhancing cyber-security, developing West-East safe data and technology exchange by the private and public sectors underpinning the objectives of Silk Road.

7. We support all efforts to strengthen financial integration along the Silk Road in order to facilitate free, fair, and transparent circulation of capital, as well as ensure funding and running of major sustainable infrastructural projects of the new Silk Road of the 21st century.

8. We welcome the initiatives of the Belarusian, Georgian and Swiss delegations seeking to host the Silk Road Support Group's next events.

We express our gratitude to Milli Mejlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan for taking the initiative of establishing Silk Road Support Group in OSCE PA with aim of unlocking the potential of multilateral cooperation along the Ancient Silk Road and beyond.