Azernews.Az

By Rasana Gasimova

Baku has won the right to host the International Astronautical Congress in 2022.

This was decided during the voting held in the General Assembly of the International Astronautic Federation in Washington on October 25.

This year’s Congress was dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the Moon landing. Azerbaijan was represented in the congress by a large group of delegates. Delivering speech at the Congress, Azerbaijan’s space program adviser, academician Roald Sagdeyev spoke about the country’s space program, noting that Baku was a worthy candidate for hosting the event in 2022.

Singapore, Rio de Janeiro and New Delhi were among the candidates for holding this prestigious event, Azerkosmos OJSC reported.

Holding the Congress under the theme “Global Challenges and Opportunities: Give a Chance to Space” in Azerbaijan’s capital in 2022 will make a significant contributions to the establishment of closer ties with foreign space agencies, companies and organizations, to the development of human capital. It will accelerate the transfer of space technologies to our country and strengthen the country's reputation as a reliable partner in the international arena. During this Congress, Azerbaijan will bring together over 6,000 representatives of the space industry for the first time in its history.

It should be noted that Baku received the right to host the IAC 2022 thanks to the special contribution made by a number of institutions, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Tourism Agency and Azerbaijan Convention Bureau, Heydar Aliyev Center and Baku Congress Center. The victory of Baku over other candidate cities was the result of successful promotional activities, a professional presentation of the country’s tourism potential and organizational capabilities.

There is a rich history behind holding IAC in Azerbaijan. The 24th International Astronautical Congress was held in Baku in 1973 for the first time in the Soviet Union upon the initiative of Azerbaijan’s National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Note that the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) is the world's leading space advocacy body with 398 members across 68 countries. The International Astronautical Congress (IAC), held annually since 1950 in different countries of the world, is the most remarkable event of the Federation. This Congress is a global platform that brings together more than 6,000 representatives of the global space community, including heads of leading space agencies, scientific centers, and international organizations, as well as famous scientists, high-level professionals from the private sector, young researchers and students. Throughout Congress, participants get the opportunity to follow up on the latest trends and innovations in the space industry.

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