Meeting with Austrian Azerbaijanis held in Vienna PHOTO

Azerbaijan's State Committee for Work employees has met the Azerbaijanis living in Austria as part of their visit to the capital of Vienna.

After declaring the event open, the committee’s chairman Fuad Muradov welcomed the meeting’s participants, Trend reports, citing the committee.

Then the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Austria were sounded, and the memory of martyrs who lost their lives to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, as well as the victims of the Khojaly genocide and the earthquake in Türkiye, was honoured.

Recalling the recommendations made by President Ilham Aliyev at the 5th World Azerbaijanis Congress, Muradov informed the participants of directions of the multifaceted activities of the committee and Azerbaijani Diaspora Support Fund, projects implemented by them, coordination councils, houses of Azerbaijan, Sunday schools of Azerbaijan, summer camps for Azerbaijani youth and a number of other successful projects.

High results of the consistent and systematic work carried out in the field of formation of the Azerbaijani diaspora were noted. A video reflecting the successes achieved and telling the history of the World Azerbaijani Congresses was shown.

The meeting focused on the work done by representatives of the diaspora worldwide, as well as in the European information space, on the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
Lithuanian journalist Ricardas Lapaitis, who spoke at the event, touched upon the policy of ethnic cleansing carried out by Armenia against our people, the horrible atrocities suffered by the residents of Khojaly. He stressed with regret that the instigators of this common humanity crime have not yet been brought to justice before an international court and still remain unpunished.

The event continued with presentations of various diaspora organisations' projects and a mutual exchange of views, presenting interesting and important proposals.

During the meeting, Ricardas Lapaitis and the head of the music department of Culture Meeting Point, PhD in Art History, musicologist Farah Tahirova were presented with the Medal of the Republic of Azerbaijan "For Merit in Diaspora Activities", which they were awarded.

Elections were then held for the Coordination Council of Austrian Azerbaijanis, and Farid Guluzade was elected as Coordinator of the Coordination Council.