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national minorities the right of equality before the law and of equal protection
of the law”. Deserving special attention in this respect is ethnic minorities’
active participation in public services of all levels and representative bodies
of Azerbaijan. There are Lezghins, Avars, Russians, Jews, Kurds and people of
other ethnic backgrounds among the members of the Milli Mejlis.
Azerbaijan has a unique historical and ethnological situation: the offspring of
its aboriginal population of many centuries ago still retain their languages and
traditions – suffice to mention the Udin, whose majority live in the village of
Nij in the Gabala District. With small exceptions, they profess Christianity
and speak their native language in everyday situations. The same concerns the
Shakhdag ethnic group, which consists of the Khanalyg, Budug and Kryz.
The Azerbaijani nation has always taken pride in the multitude of peoples,
religions and cultures in its land. The Azerbaijani think wisely that every
citizen of their country is a member of one family whose duty it is to promote
the development of his or her salient features and protect unique ethnic and
cultural qualities. Our nation’s humanism finds material proof in the small
ethnic minorities surviving through centuries. History has given the world an
inimitable example of peaceful coexistence of the many ethnic and religious
groups. For many centuries, the Azerbaijani people have instilled patriotism in
the nation without recurring to coercive assimilation, and developed mutual
respect and intolerance of nationalism in whatever form. Multiculturalism
is my country’s present-day reality, which shows that time and patience can
make an alloy of many peoples and religions.
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