This year marks the “Year of Multiculturalism” in Azerbaijan, a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

To celebrate the initiative, launched by the government of President Ilham Aliyev, Baku will host the seventh Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilization under the theme of “Living together in inclusive societies” from April 25-27.

As the highest profile event of the alliance organization, the venue will gather politicians, diplomats, businesspeople, civil society workers, students, scholars and journalists from around the world to promote dialogue and discussion on cross-cultural engagement, tolerance and coexistence.

The forum will examine and review ways to prevent violent extremism and best practices in social inclusion in two plenaries. At the end of the conference, a Baku Declaration will be produced on inclusive living alongside the launch of an UNAOC advisory council.

Azerbaijan is a multiethnic country with the majority of its population being Azerbaijanis, followed by small minorities of Lezgians, Armenians, Russians, Talysh, Avars, Turks, Tatars, Tats, Ukrainians, Tsakhurs, Georgians, Jews and Kurds.

There are many centers for ethnic minorities in the country, including the German cultural society “Karelhaus,” Slavic cultural centers, Azerbaijani-Israeli communities, Kurdish cultural centers, the International Talysh Association, Lezgin national center “Samur,” Azerbaijani-Tatar communities and the Crimean Tatars society.

Many Azerbaijanis are Shiite Muslims, and the country has high levels of human development on par with most Eastern European countries, according to the United Nations Development Program.

From this month onward, Korean citizens will be able to enjoy a single-entry visa to Azerbaijan that allows a stay in the country up to 30 days, in light of surging people-to-people ties through business, government, tourism, education and culture, according to the embassy in Seoul.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)