Chairman of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora, Fuad Muradov, met with the members of the Azerbaijani community living in Illinois, USA.

The event began with the National Anthems of Azerbaijan and the USA and continued with one minute silence, as a mark of respect to the dear memory of martyrs, who died for the territorial integrity of our country.

Farid Mammadov and Mehriban Mammadova, founders of the Azerbaijan Center for the Midwest States of America, welcomed the participants. Then Mehriban Mammadova spoke about the activity of the community, the further expansion of the scope of the work done, the gradual increase in the influence of the Azerbaijani community in the US and its progress towards becoming a “soft power”.

The Committee Chairman gave detailed information about the diaspora policy implemented under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, coordination councils, Azerbaijani houses, weekend Azerbaijani schools, successful large-scale projects of the Committee, as well as the V Summer Camp of Diaspora Youth held in Lachin from August 1 to 7 that aroused great interest of Azerbaijani youth.

Engin Tures, Turkish Consul General in Chicago, who also attended the meeting, noted the importance of the joint activities of the Azerbaijani and Turkish diasporas.

Nargiz Habibova, head of the Midwest Azerbaijani Student Alliance, informed the participants about the organization's activity and spoke about the opportunities for networking of student youth in the US, especially through social media platforms and the organization's goals. The speeches emphasized that the liberation of Azerbaijan from occupation of its territories, its transformation into a symbol of peace and reconciliation in the region makes our compatriots proud and encourage them to do even greater things for motherland. Community members spoke about the importance of forming a stronger diaspora, the mechanisms of unity, the importance of applying international experience, and proposed to open an Azerbaijani House here in the future. The positive impact of holding periodic meetings with the Committee and holding discussions with diaspora members on community formation was also highlighted.

The event featured videos of the Committee’s activity and the essence of coordinated work in the diaspora movement, a wide range of ideas were exchanged and questions were answered.

The event ended with an artistic part.