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R. Huseynov: Address to the International Leadership Conference
Written by H.E. Rahim Huseynov, Former Prime Minister, Azerbaijan
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Address to the UPF International Leadership Conference
Seoul, Korea, February 6-10, 2011
H.E. Rahim Alievich Huseynov was Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan from 1992 to 1993. Dr. Huseynov graduated from the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys with a specialty in metallurgical engineering and worked at the Azerbaijan Tube-Rolling Plant. In 1989 he was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and later Chairman of the State Planning Committee. At present, he is a President of the Khazar International Fund.
Azerbaijan is my motherland. During the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the process of independence, it suffered the horrors of armed conflicts and the resulting destruction of the biological, intellectual, and cultural gene pool of the nation.
The history of armed conflicts demonstrates the inanity of all kinds of forced methods, no matter under which flag they were implemented.
Violence does not lead to freedom; instead, it turns people into slaves. Therefore, the principle of non-violence that gives people freedom should be the basic foundation of relationships among nations, between people and authorities, and among people.
Human experience and numerous scientific studies prove that aggressiveness is alien to human nature, both primordially and immanently (as an expression of the divine essence that manifests in and through all aspects of the material world). Violence is an immediate evil that originates in the irregularities of the present social system.
The concepts of innate human perversity and unchangeable human nature are not scientific. Many attributes imputed to genetics are in reality the results of some cultural deviations in the social and economic system.
Culture is a multisided notion that includes our ways of thinking and ways of organizing human life. A comprehensive understanding of culture includes the divine logos (word) and justice that encompass human life and thought. It implies social solidarity, tolerance, and mutual interest in human relations and relations between nations.
Justice is the essential universal guideline and ideological criterion for correlation, proportionality, balance, and harmony between the actions and reactions of the bodies and institutions of society and within individuals, expressed in the form of reward or censure. “Nothing but injustice can make us so indignant,” wrote Kant. “All other kinds of evil that we have to suffer are nothing compared to it.”
Historically, Azerbaijan is a multi-national country. Its variety of climate zones (9 out of 11 climate zones are found in Azerbaijan) and the resulting variety of natural resources attracted representatives of many nationalities. People of different religions worked hand in hand to create in our country everything needed for raising families and educating future generations.
The lack of international conflicts promoted cultural development in all spheres of human relations. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, this helped prevent large international conflicts in Azerbaijan.
The close interaction of many religious structures and national communities has prevented problems from arising among the various nationalities in Azerbaijan. This fact was often corroborated by officials from other countries during the meetings with officials of Azerbaijan.
A worthy leader of any nation understands that the trust and support of the people is the foundation for his authority and acceptance in the nation. It is also the foundation for the normal development of families and future generations, and it will promote interreligious and international unity leading to peace and calm on the Earth.
In line with this, the proposal of our Universal Peace Federation's founder, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, to create an interreligious peace council at the United Nations should help resolve the most urgent problems in international relations and promote human development through preventing inter-ethnic and interreligious conflicts.
All this will contribute to the development of cultures and dialogue among civilizations. If people of different nations and religions do not hold grudges against each other, there will be no cause for conflicts and revenge. There will be no need for wars and acts of terror that cause people to hate one another.
Many times we heard the UPF founder say that God created our planet with all her beneficial gifts for the sake of human beings so that the earth can flourish and its people can live in peace and prosperity.
The recent events in the world prove that the UN member-nations have to stop playing useless political games, come closer to their people, and defend their rights.
The recent conference in Baku organized by the Eurasian chapter of UPF should make a significant impact in stabilizing relationships in the region. In my mind, we were able to convince the participants that the notorious Karabakh problem is a barrier to good relationships among the nations in the Caucasus and misrepresents the situation in the region
Civilized society is very interested in developing humanistic ideals and non-violence in people's ways of thinking and acting.
Dr. Moon’s life course and his activity for world peace and his autobiographical book are additional proof that nothing is more divine than the unity of our mind and actions for the sake of creating a peaceful and prosperous society.
With order and calm in the state there will surely be peace in the world. Civilization is doomed unless peace and spirituality prevail.
For more information about UPF-Eurasia's South Caucasus Peace Initiative, click here.