UNESCO Director-General Ms. Audrey Azoulay sent a letter of appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the 43 rd Session of the World Heritage Committee.

Axar.az reports citing Ministry of Culture that the letter says that our country has hosted this prestigious UNESCO event on high-level and thanked for the preparations made, the organization of the session, and the effective management of the meetings for the 43 rd Session of the World Heritage Committee.

The Director General also notes that she enjoyed visiting the Gobustan Reserve during her visit to Baku: “I am personally very delighted to discover the rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan in the foretype of Gobustan and to witness the efforts made by the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture in the preservation and promotion of this site”.

The letter also invites the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan to participate in the Forum of Ministers of Culture ahead of the 40 th Session of the General Conference to be held by UNESCO on November 19, 2019.

The letter from the Director General ends with these thoughts: “I left Baku amid the dynamically developing relations between UNESCO and Azerbaijan, and I was very pleased for this. I am once again convinced that I can always count on your support. ”

Ms. Mechtild Rössler, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, also sent a letter of appreciation to the Government of Azerbaijan regarding the 43 rd Session of the World Heritage Committee. The letter commends our country for hosting this important event at a high level. It is noted that many issues on the agenda of the Baku session have been resolved in a timely and successful manner. On behalf of her colleagues at the World Heritage Center, Ms. Rössler expressed her gratitude for the high level of organization of the meetings, including the team involved in supporting the UNESCO Secretariat, who was directly involved in the day-to-day planning: "We appreciate the magnificent atmosphere of the meetings, the professionalism, the generosity of the staff, the high level of service and the warm attitude of the people who coordinated the meetings”.

The Director of the World Heritage Center in her letter invited the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan to the 22nd General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention to be held on November 27-28 at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. It’s noted that a report on the activities of the Committee is expected to be heard by the chairman of the 43 rd Session of the World Heritage Committee.

At the end of the letter, Rössler thanked the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan for its continued cooperation and support for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

The 43 rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee was held in Baku from June 30 to July 10, 2019. Azerbaijan is a member of the World Heritage Committee since 2015 and chairs the Committee in 2019. The 43 rd session was chaired by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The session was attended by over 2,500 delegates from over 180 countries, including ministers, senior officials, as well as heads and officials of international organizations.