Azeri president blames low level of multiculturalism for Karabakh conflict
BAKU. May 30 (Interfax) - Support of multiculturalism and its further development are among the priorities of the international community today, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said at the opening of the 2nd World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku on Thursday.
"Multiculturalism has no alternative because any alternative would mean discrimination, xenophobia, racism and fascism. I believe that in the 21st century the international community needs to vigorously combat such negative phenomena," he said.
The low level of multiculturalism provoked the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and the subsequent occupation of Azerbaijan's territories by Armenia, the president said.
"Azerbaijan must restore its territorial integrity," Aliyev said.
Azerbaijan where representatives of different ethnic groups and faiths have lived side-by-side peacefully for centuries is an example of multiculturalism, he said.