Trust Advisor Michael Moore MP visits Baku to Promote John Smith Fellowship Programme
On 24th September Trust Advisor and Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesman Michael Moore MP and Deputy Director Joanna Lamb travelled to Baku, Azerbaijan in order to promote the John Smith Fellowship Programme 2008 and the work of the John Smith Memorial Trust.
L-R: Trust Deputy Director Joanna Lamb, Michael Moore MP and John Smith Fellow Shahla Ismailova by the Caspian Sea, Baku
Sponsored and organised jointly by the British Embassy and the British Council, the visit was a huge success reaching a wide range of potential Fellows who the Trust hopes will apply for the 2008 Programme.
On the first day of the visit, following a briefing with the new British Ambassador Dr. Carolyn Browne to discuss recent developments in Azerbaijan, Mr. Moore met with the Board of AUKAA (the Azerbaijan-UK Alumni Association), including Chairman and John Smith Fellow Khalid Rajabov, to discuss their activities and plans for the future of this fast-growing organisation.
Mr. Moore then travelled to the offices of key Trust sponsors BP in order to meet External Affairs Manager Seymour Khalilov. They discussed BP’s activities in Azerbaijan and how their projects are benefiting the local community, in particular in the areas of transparency and capacity building.
Michael Moore is joined by John Smith Fellows and the British Council and Embassy for an informal dinner
As the Trust is keen to encourage Fellows from a variety of different backgrounds to apply for the programme, Michael Moore met with a group of promising young journalists to talk about the work of the John Smith Memorial Trust and how they might use the experience of the Fellowship Programme. He spoke of former Fellows such as journalist Viktoriya Talashkevych who created a non-profit, free speech website where journalists can post articles about culture and politics in Ukraine as a result of her experiences in the UK. John Smith Fellow Shahla Ismailova spoke about her impressions and experiences during the Programme, and the journalists asked questions about the Fellowship and John Smith and were encouraged to distribute information about the Programme through their professional networks.
In the evening John Smith Fellows, Director of the British Council Baku Andy Williams and Embassy Political Officer Declan Byrne joined the visitors for an informal dinner and an opportunity to catch up with Fellows news since they took part in the Fellowship Programme.
On the second day of the visit, Michael Moore, Joanna Lamb and Andy Williams met with the Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vaqif Sadiqov, the Minister for Youth and Sport Mr. Azad Rahimov and Minister of Education Mr. Misir Mardanov. All the Ministers were very supportive of the John Smith Fellowship Programme and spoke highly of John Smith Alumni from Azerbaijan. Mr. Moore stressed the importance of the relationship between the UK and Azerbaijan and how the Fellowship Programme, and organisations such as AUKAA, were contributing to this.
L-R: Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vaqif Sadiqov, Trust Deputy Director Joanna Lamb, Michael Moore MP
The visitors then met with students and professors at the Academy of Public Administration where they were welcomed by the Rector Dr. Ceyfaddin Gandilov. Mr. Moore spoke to the audience about his role as an opposition MP in parliament and took questions from the audience on a variety of topics. John Smith Fellow Rafig Gurban-zadeh, who is a graduate of the Academy, then spoke about his experiences during the Fellowship Programme and his achievements since taking part.
L-R: Dr. Ceyfaddin Gandilov, Rector of the Academy of Public Administration,
Michael Moore MP, interpreter, John Smith Fellow Rafig Gurban-zadeh
The final event of the visit took place at the British Council offices where Mr. Moore spoke to members of AUKKA about his work as a member of parliament – the audience were particularly interested in his role as a constituency MP and how he combines this with his work as Foreign Affairs Spokesman for the Liberal Democrats. The audience were then invited to join Mr. Moore for a buffet supper and to continue the discussion, and many members were keen to ask him additional questions.
Michael Moore MP speaking at an AUKKA event
The John Smith Memorial Trust would like to thank the British Council and the British Embassy for their kind sponsorship of this visit and their excellent organisation. We would also like to thank those John Smith Fellows in Azerbaijan who participated for their contribution to this successful visit.