​State Duma deputy: Azerbaijan and Dagestan may jointly meet the challenges in today's realities - INTERVIEW

Moscow. 16 June. REPORT.AZ/ The policy, pursued by the Azerbaijani leadership, promotes mutual understanding and tolerance between peoples, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Nationalities Gadzhimet Safaraliyev stated in his interview to Report News Agency.

- How do you assess the recent visit of Dagestan's leadership in Azerbaijan? What do you think of the level of Dagestan-Azerbaijan relations?

- Azerbaijan and Dagestan have long and one might even say ancient relations. Today, we are working together on deepening them. In particular, during the Days of Dagestan in Azerbaijan, a large number of contracts were signed. A lot of the peoples of Dagestan - Lezgi, Avar, Tsahor live in Azerbaijan today. On the other hand, a large number of Azerbaijanis traditionally live in Dagestan. We are neighbors, very close to each other, so we should try hard to live comfortably in natural environment, and no one feels unwelcome. Only by uniting we will be able to respond to the challenges that exist in today's realities, including in the light of Western sanctions.

The policy, pursued by the Azerbaijani leadership, promotes mutual understanding and tolerance between cultures. No fluctuations in international relations of Azerbaijan have not observed for a long time - it is a clearly established system.

- What about your personal relations with Azerbaijan since we know that you often visit Baku?

- Baku is lying firmly in the tradition of our family. My grandfather started his career in Baku. From there, exactly 100 years ago, in 1916, he arrived in Derbent to organize a local cell RSDLP (Russian Social Democratic Labour Party - ed.). My father graduated from Baku Oil Academy - today Academy of Oil and Industry. I myself defended my doctor thesis in Baku. A lot of things relate to Baku. Some of my relatives and friends live in Baku. Therefore, any trip to Baku is a holiday for me. And this summer, too, I will go there, if possible. Now an election campaign in the State Duma is starting and if the party decides that I have to run for the office, I will have to work in the summer. But I always visit Baku with pleasure.

- What about the elections: will you run for an office in the Duma? What results did the election primaries give?

- I will participate if the party’s leadership decides so. As for the primaries, in this procedure, I was the federal representative on the North Caucasus region. This is a very good innovation. We saw how people react to this innovation, how they take it. Some candidates did not take that: there were a lot of surprises - some fairly media persons could not gain votes and left behind. Thus the party holds natural selection.

- What kind of work is currently the Committee on the ethnic policy in the State Duma implementing? What activities are waiting for us in the near future?

- We work mainly in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Nationalities. It is planned to hold a major forum titled "Russian Caucasus", which has already been held in Dagestan for 4 years. Major ethnic and religious camps are planned in the summer. One of the camps will be in the Caspian Sea, the Azerbaijani side is also expected to attend it.