В Армении мощный скандал с угрозами. 18 мая

The President addressed the Leaders' Summit Today, the Leaders' Summit is taking place in Baku as part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13). Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended the opening ceremony of the Leaders' Summit in Baku. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ilham Aliyev expressed hope that the outcomes of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum will be as successful as the COP29 climate conference, which was held in Baku in 2024. The head of state noted that today, especially in capital cities, urban development requires both decisiveness and caution. "Sometimes I compare it to a Formula 1 race in Baku, which, incidentally, is one of the few city tracks. The speed on the main straight exceeds 300 kilometers per hour, and then the drivers have to brake sharply and literally squeeze their cars into a street just seven meters wide, running one meter from the ancient fortress wall," he said. According to the President, this balance—boldness and caution—is essential in urban development and modernization. The President emphasized the need to build environmentally friendly cities with easy access to public transportation. The International Urban Forum, which is taking place in Baku from May 17 to 22, is one of the key UN platforms for sustainable urban development. More than 40,000 people from 182 countries registered to participate in the Baku Forum, a record number for the forum's history. For the first time in its history, the Forum is entirely dedicated to the global housing crisis. The main venue for the event was the Baku Olympic Stadium, where the Urban Expo exhibition opened today, bringing together more than 66 countries. Participating countries presented their pavilions at the exhibition. The Russian pavilion is represented by the Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Utilities. Visitors to the pavilion can see the latest urban development projects in Moscow, as well as architectural monuments reconstructed in recent years. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Saudi Arabia also presented their pavilions. Azerbaijan presented one of the largest pavilions at the exhibition. The World Urban Forum has been held since 2002 and serves as the leading global platform for exchanging experiences between governments, businesses, experts, and civil society.