Fuad Muradov, Chairman of the State Committee on Work with the Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan, who is visiting the United States, held meetings with Sam Kliger, Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Research Institute for New Americans (RINA); Yakov Abramov, Head of the Mountain Jews Cultural Center; and New York State Assembly Members Mikhail Novakhov and Alec Brook-Krasny. Azerbaijan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Tofiq Musayev, also attended the meetings.
During the meeting with Sam Kliger, the role of the diaspora in the development of Azerbaijan-U.S. relations was among the key topics discussed. The sides considered opportunities to expand the exchange of experience between RINA and the Azerbaijani diaspora, implement youth-oriented programs and leadership initiatives, and develop joint projects aimed at strengthening dialogue among different communities. In recognition of his contributions to the development of the Azerbaijan-U.S. partnership and to enhancing the role of the Azerbaijani diaspora in American society, Sam Kliger was presented with a letter of appreciation.
During the meeting with Yakov Abramov, the work carried out by the Mountain Jews Cultural Center to preserve, pass on to future generations, and promote the historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijani and Caucasus Jews was highly valued.
The Chairman of the State Committee emphasized that throughout history, Azerbaijan has been a country where different religious and ethnic groups, including the Jewish community, have lived together in an environment of peace, mutual respect, and harmony. He noted that promoting Azerbaijan’s traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance internationally makes an important contribution to further strengthening mutual understanding among peoples and communities.
The meeting also addressed the large-scale reconstruction and development projects being carried out in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, as well as Azerbaijan’s initiatives aimed at establishing lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus. Particular attention was paid to the discussions held several days earlier between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the unconditional and prompt implementation of the TRIPP project.
Discussions with members of the New York State Assembly focused on the participation of the Azerbaijani community in the city’s social, cultural, and economic life, its contributions to the development of New York, and the diaspora’s role in further strengthening Azerbaijan-New York relations. The sides expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the fields of culture, education, youth, diaspora activities, and intercommunity dialogue, as well as in establishing platforms that would contribute to making these relations more intensive.
New York State Assembly Member Mikhail Novakhov presented the Chairman of the State Committee with a proclamation adopted by the New York State Assembly on the occasion of October 18 — the Day of Restoration of Independence. The proclamation highlighted Azerbaijan’s path to independence, its status as a secular state, its traditions of tolerance, the peaceful coexistence of the Mountain Jewish community in the country, and the high level of civic engagement of the Azerbaijani community in the United States, including Azerbaijani Americans of Mountain Jewish origin.
The meetings once again demonstrated that, alongside the active integration of Azerbaijanis living abroad into their local societies — one of the key directions of Azerbaijan’s diaspora policy — they also play an important role in communicating Azerbaijan’s historical and cultural heritage, values of multiculturalism and tolerance, as well as the country’s agenda for peace and cooperation to the international community.