Speech of Mr Nazim Samadov, Deputy Minister of Culture and ...

Speech of Mr Nazim Samadov,
Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan during the Panel 2 session of the
seminar on
“TOURISM AT WORLD HERITAGE SITES: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES”
ÇESME (IZMIR, TURKEY), 26-27 MARCH 2013
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me start with thanking the participants of the Panel 1 discussion for fruitful debates. We do share
your vision on the things as they stand. Tourism is clearly a driver for preservation and conservation of
cultural and natural heritage and a vehicle for sustainable development. At the same time, as we saw,
successful national policies and international legally binding or advisory instruments related to heritage
sites do not limit themselves to management of the sites as an individual activity. Communication and
raising awareness about the heritage sites and intangible heritage elements are also important in
terms of tourism strategies, as it is generally known that it is not primarily the way you manage cultural
assets that give people the first impression, but the way you are communicating about them.
For the small country like Azerbaijan communication of all of its features to the world is always an
issue. When the country has become independent upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, nobody
even knew what Azerbaijan is or where it is located. Gradually, with time and via intensive cultural,
political and economic integration of the country into world community this issue has faded, and since
now people are more of less aware about what Azerbaijan represents and what part in world’s cultural
diversity it occupies.
It is true that due to historical links with greater nations around us, we had to position ourselves as
having features in our culture making us different from larger and more recognized neighbor nations
around us. Over the years, this has resulted in gradual and multi-scope communication on cultural,
archeological and natural sites and monuments, as well as our living traditions, national arts and
crafts, as they are an indispensable part of and contribute to the heritage aspect as a whole.
On the way to today’s recognition of Azerbaijani culture we, as a country have passed the long way of
raising awareness about heritage among expatriate communities of Baku, diplomats, employees of
international missions and foreign companies. Soon, we have seen them going far beyond Baku,
exploring the culture of Azerbaijan in the unique towns and villages, such as Sheki with its silk
production and special sweets produced nowhere else in the world, as well as Lahic, perhaps the only
village in the world populated by the national minority of tats and never involved in agriculture but
production of handmade items, crafting of timber, metals, producing unique pottery and even firearms.
Positioning of internal communication as ones of the first priorities was a very vital stage, as during our
first years of independence, with occupation of 20% of lands by Armenia, one million refugees,
economic collapse, high unemployment and poverty rates, government had things more important
than launching foreign communication measures on the national culture and heritage. At the same
time we know that this personal involvement of expatriate community was important to set the
international agenda of promotion of Azerbaijani culture and attraction of international tourism arrivals.
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Stage two of the promotion process was even more challenging and exciting. It required deep
institutional and organizational reforms, development of human potential capable of representing
Azerbaijani culture worldwide, at international forums, organizations, exhibitions and similar
gatherings. This was when the national Ministry of Culture has established the special departments on
Cultural Heritage, International Affairs and Projects, National Culinary Center, National Carpet
Museum and other centers for establishment of systematic approach to development of sensible
projects and promotion of national culture.
These immediate measures have been the first policy steps to ensure awareness-raising, as the
scope of the heritage potential in Azerbaijan is huge. Despite of the size of country, the culture and
heritage of Azerbaijan is very diverse and colorful, ranging from petroglyphs of Stone Age to Fireworshippers’
Temple, from burning mountains to 12 hectares of open air museum of Old City,
representing the Middle Age town with city walls, bastions, gates, narrow streets and unique
architectural patterns. Despite of being the Muslim state today, Azerbaijan has a lot to offer for people
of all major religions around the world.
In terms of living traditions Azerbaijan can offer the unique ancient music of mugam and ashugs.
Carpet making has always been well integrated into Azerbaijan’s society, existing as a point of pride, a
defining element of culture. That is why at stage three of communication we have started active
promotion of cultural elements and heritage at UNESCO. As a result of this active work Petroglyphs of
Gobustan, Old City, Maidens’ Tower entered UNESCO World Heritage List, while music of mugam,
ashugs, Novruz holiday of spring, Azerbaijani carpet, art of performance on national instrument tar
were inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This gave the Azerbaijani cultural heritage the official recognition globally and brought the wide
perspectives for its further promotion. Today, based on this achievements coming from cooperation
with UNESCO and other international organizations we can proudly promote Azerbaijan as a land of
rich and unique culture.
Being part of the Great Silk Way project we are cooperating with UNWTO to enhance our contribution
to the project. With kind support and active involvement of UNWTO and personally Mr. Taleb Rifai, the
Great Silk Way became the international brand many want to be associated with, which for us is a
great opportunity to promote ourselves, specifically various parts of our heritage and our
understanding of other cultures and tolerance between peoples.
We have always tried to make most of many other events held in Azerbaijan in terms of telling to the
world about our heritage. Eurovision 2012 was a complete surprise to many Europeans, who have
seen the country that was totally different from their initial impressions and expectations. Held in May,
Eurovision was followed by the International Gabala Festival of Classic Music, then by the U17
Women Football World Cup in September 2012, International Jazz Festival and International
Humanitarian Forum in October, International Mugam Festival held bi-annually, International Theatre
Conference in November, International Rostropovich Festival in December.
In 2013 we have a number of major events including II International Baku Forum on Intercultural
Dialogue, UNESCO Intangible Heritage Committee Meeting and III Baku International Humanitarian
Forum.
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It is in the spirit of these achievements and its commitment to a multi-aspect approach to synergies
between tourism and heritage that Azerbaijan would like to present its candidacy to represent the
region at the UNWTO Executive Council. We do believe that the methodology and strategies of the
European region can be shared and enriched through the work of the Executive Council and we do
count on the support of our European colleagues.
Speaking of culture in the context of tourism, we have approached the most important stage involving
two-way traffic: develop tourism via culture and heritage and use tourism to promote culture and
heritage. Many efforts have been done in this direction, some examples of them are: Gobustan
Museum at the UNESCO protected site of pre-historic rock paintings, establishment of the State
Department of the Historical-Architectural Reserve Icheri Sheher, responsible for the World Heritage
Site Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower. Other measures include
concerete activities for promoting intangible heritage traditions. The Governement has funded the
establishment of a new carpet museum combining the old traditions and modern technologies, handson
experience and encyclopedic knowledge about all major carpet schools and individual carpets
known to the world, as well as the new Mugam center, made in the shape of the musical instruments
and used for mugam performances and many others.
Culture and heritage are an integral attribute of our promotion of Azerbaijan as tourism destination,
advertisement campaigns at CNN, Euronews, Travel Channel and Eurosport. Another important
aspect is communication through more than 20 tourism exhibitions that we attend every year.
Exhibitions are particularly important as Azerbaijani dancers in national costumes are treated as
celebrities with hundreds of people attending their brief shows and taking pictures with them. Another
line of Government policies focuses on communicating on heritage as part of the bigger picture of
entertainment opportunities, rather than sole element. This picture includes activities based on ethnic
and religious belonging, interest in local cuisines and other aspects. As we see that some segments of
tourists want to see the part of their culture in the foreign country, we work on elaboration of cultural
routes that make this possible, especially through the newly established routes on German
settlements, Polish traces, Wine routes etc. We understand that people in many cases want to
associate their experience in Azerbaijan with their childhood memories and we offer them products
that bring their past and presence together. For instance, there are several famous Soviet comedies
filmed in Baku and this is one of top attractions for tourists from Russia and CIS.
Ladies and Genlemen,
The social aspect of tourism enhances its value as a communicative process because tourism is an
industry with a difference. There is an undeniable exchange between places and people. This
exchange is what is meant by communication.
Communication happens at many levels. The interaction of the tourist with the places he visits and
the people he meets is therefore, a form of communication in which both the visitor and the visited
form a communication cycle. A considerable amount of efforts is given to the power of impressions on
the mind of a person living in the twenty-first century. We have to recognize that one of the most
important aspects of tourism is the communication of the impressions created in the minds of tourists.
These include non-verbal aspects, such as sights and sounds that communicate a general impression,
and the verbal aspect of communication as language plays an important role in creating impressions.
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In the field of tourism, communication, both non-verbal and verbal, can play a vital role in the
promotion and profitability of this socio-economic process.
It is good to know that tourism through national heritage aspect has good grounds to contribute to the
socio-economic process. Historical and cultural heritage always offers interesting opportunities to the
world and unique experiences that are becoming more and more difficult to find under the stressful
pressure of globalization.
At this stage, it is also important to recall that the significance of developing synergies between
tourism and world heritage sites has been recognized not only by UNWTO, but also by UNESCO, at
the level of its Executive Board decisions and sessions of the World Heritage Committee. In this light
we see a clear commitment of international community to make tourism stakeholders aware of and
appreciate the heritage values as a key to communicate on the World Heritage properties.
Let me conclude my speech with a phrase that sounded at the last World Heritage Committee in Saint
Petersburg in June-July 2012, “World Heritage properties attract significant tourism interest and form
important tourist destinations and there is a need to communicate on these values in a way as to
ensure that they are readily understood and explain their significance within a local, national and
international context.”
So let us communicate on the values of the World Heritage and intangible heritage properties in the
most proper manner and with full consideration of cultural diversity and mutual respect between
countries. The heritage we have today is the heritage we transmit to the next generation tomorrow. In
this context it is crucial to ensure that tourism we initiate, manage and communicate on is driven in the
most sustainable manner.
Thank you.
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