Azertag,
14, May 2008

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended a ground breaking ceremony for the State Museum of Azerbaijani Carpet and People Applied Arts named after Latif Karimov on Thursday.

The Museum, whose construction was initiated by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and is to be carried out with the support of UNESCO, will be built in the shape of a rolled carpet. The design of the building was performed by the Austrian company Hoffmann-Janz. Construction work will be carried out by local company AIKON.

The three-storey building of the Museum will cover an area of 18,446 square meters, and contain exhibition hall, carpet weaving and sewing center, library, souvenir and book shop, conference and audio-video presentations room, archive and other facilities.

Along with President Ilham Aliyev, present at the ceremony were first lady Mehriban Aliyeva, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors Princess Firyal of Jordan and ex-President of Iceland Vigdis Finnbogadottir.

President Ilham Aliyev and UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura spoke to the ceremony.

President Ilham Aliyev said in particular:

"Carpet making is part of Azerbaijan`s culture, and this tradition has been living and developing since very ancient times"

"Today, Azerbaijani carpets are kept in the world`s most famous museums, and also included in private collections".

"The art of carpet making is something that is very dear to every Azerbaijani, and no one in our country can imagine themselves without a carpet"

"Unfortunately, however, there was a big necessity of building a new carpet museum in our country, and I am very happy that today this idea is coming true. Right now, the Azerbaijani carpet museum is located in the museum center where three or four museums are located. When I have visited that museum center I noticed that the situation was not that good and that's why we decided to build a new and big carpet museum in Azerbaijan"

"Today, I would like to greet, in particular, the Austrian architects who have made great contribution to the project of this carpet museum. Their proposals have become the best proposals, because there was an open tender and they have won this tender. I think their project enshrines special modernity and specific beauty of the Azerbaijani carpet. I am hopeful that the new carpet museum will be built in the nearest future. The construction work will be done by Azerbaijani specialists and constructors. I wish them a lot of success in the coming work"

"Today, I want to particularly welcome UNESCO Director General Mr. Koichiro Matsuura to Azerbaijan and thank him for coming to our country"

"Relationships between UNESCO and Azerbaijan have been developing successfully and very rapidly, and they allow us to solve issues related to our culture. We attach a very big importance to the preservation of our culture, our cultural heritage and our historical monuments"

"Azerbaijan is a multiethnic country, and historical monuments which belong to the people living in our country have been properly preserved and restored"

"Unfortunately all Azerbaijan`s historical monuments in the territories occupied by Armenia have been destroyed"

"The ethnic cleansing policy conducted against Azerbaijani people has also damaged our cultural monuments. But we in Azerbaijan pay respect and particular attention to the past and history of all the people living here"

"Today, together with Mr. Matsuura we have taken a small tour of the Mugham center whose foundation stone we once laid"

"Each visit of Mr. Matsuura to Azerbaijan has been marking the start of another fruitful project. I am hopeful that next time we will witness the beginning of another spectacular project"

"Once again I would like to underline specifically the activities of Mr. Matsuura in this field, and, of course, every Azerbaijani citizen highly appreciates his respect towards our culture"

"I would like to greet all the guests who have joined yesterday`s conference organized by UNESCO"

"This project is the embodiment of today`s Azerbaijan. It is the respect towards our history, towards our culture and, at the same time, it is the path forward and modernization". After that, UNESCO chief Koichiro Matsuura addressed the ceremony.

He in particular said:

"I am really happy to be here today. As President Aliyev said, I clearly remember the very impressive ground breaking ceremony for the Mugham center in August 2005, which he and I attended in the presence of madam Aliyeva"

"Azerbaijan`s Mugham was included as the masterpiece of the world in the cultural heritage of UNESCO"

"I am very interested in Azerbaijan`s Mugham... that`s why it was a great honor for me to participate in the ground breaking ceremony for the Azerbaijan International Mugham Center"

"Nevertheless, when I came there first it was totally empty space… but today the Mugham Center`s construction is almost complete"

"I was deeply impressed by this, and I was pleased to see the construction, design and innovative technologies used there"

"I express my deep gratitude to you (Mr. President and madam first lady) for this initiative to build the Mugham Center"

"Today, it is double pleasure for me as I participate in the ground breaking ceremony for another building. After I saw the construction of the Mugham Center, I have no doubts about the construction work here"

"Mr. President, I want to congratulate you on this beautiful project on construction of the Carpet Museum... I have always been a great admirer of Azerbaijan carpets"

"Dear President, your father, late president Heydar Aliyev, donated a beautiful Azerbaijani carpet to UNESCO which is at permanent display at UNESCO headquarters"

"Today, madam Aliyeva has chosen a wonderful place for our lunch. We have the very nice Azerbaijani lunch in the garden covered by beautiful Azerbaijani carpets"

"After the lunch madam Aliyeva took me to the next building where many young and old Azerbaijani women are weaving carpets. Thanks to madam Aliyeva today I had the first experience of inaugurating beautiful carpet with scissors. When I took the scissors to cut I was a little bit afraid, I did not know how to cut. Madam Aliyeva showed the very good example, and, therefore, I simply repeated what she did. But I couldn`t cut as skillfully as madam Aliyeva did"

"I am very happy, Mr. President Aliyev, for your taking this initiative. I express my confidence that the construction of the Carpet Museum will be completed in the nearest time" "Thank you very much for inviting me to participate in the ground breaking ceremony of the new museum..."

"…Mr. President, dear madam Aliyeva, if you launch any new initiative in future, I promise to participate in another ground breaking ceremony"

Afterwards, the foundation stone laying ceremony took place.

President Ilham Aliyev placed a time capsule into the foundation, and filled it with liquid concrete. v First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors Princess Firyal of Jordan and ex-President of Iceland Vigdis Finnbogadottir joined the President to perform the action.

Koichiro Matsuura presented President Ilham Aliyev with the UNESCO gold medal.