President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ayse Cihan Sultanoğlu.

President Ilham Aliyev hailed the participation of a delegation led by UN Assistant Secretary-General Ayse Cihan Sultanoğlu in the 5th Baku International Humanitarian Forum, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's message to the Forum participants. The head of state asked Ayse Cihan Sultanoğlu to extend his greetings to the UN Secretary General. Stressing the importance of the fact that an influential organization such as UN praises the activity of the government of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev said the efforts will be continued to ensure development of the country in all areas.

Saying that she is honoured to participate in the event, UN Assistant Secretary-General Ayse Cihan Sultanoğlu noted that the Baku Forum is a very important event. She thanked the President for the excellent organization of the Forum.

At the meeting, the sides underlined the significance of the 5th Baku International Humanitarian Forum. They stressed that the issues discussed, initiatives proposed in this forum and ideas of multiculturalism are presently important for the whole world. Azerbaijan`s successful cooperation with UN in the humanitarian sphere was hailed. They also underlined the importance of strengthening inter-religious and intercultural cooperation in order to tackle certain threats. It was noted that UN attaches importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan. They also spoke of joint programs and projects implemented as part of UN Development Programme. The sides discussed the possibilities of implementing these programs in the future.