In the attendance of many former presidents and prime ministers, Serageldin presided over the preparatory meeting for the third Nizami Ganjavi International Center(NGIC)/ Club de Madrid (CdM) Baku Forum on the theme Rebuilding Trust in Wider Europe – A High Level NGIC/CdM Initiative. In a gripping opening statement entitled Facing Facts: What’s Wrong with the Current World Order! , Serageldin said . … “The world order that had so patiently been erected in the last half century has become unraveled….Today, the specter of war in Europe has been awakened. While on the other side of the Mediterranean, the specter of barbarism has been resurrected…” . The speech was very well received.
The meeting discussed the role of the NGIC and CdM in the security framework and conflict resolution mechanisms in wider Europe
The NGIC also held their seventh Board of Trustees meeting and celebrated their second anniversary. Established in 2012 on the 870th Anniversary of the ancient Azeri poet Nizami Ganjavi, the NGIC is a cultural center promoting the heritage of Nizami. Its projects include publishing, re-editing and translating the works of the famous poet. Co-chairs of the center are Vaira Vike–Freiberga (former President of Latvia), Roza Otunbayeva (former President of Kirgizstan), Suleyman Demirel (former President of Turkey), Tarja Halonen (former President of Finland), and Ismail Serageldin.
The Club de Madrid is an independent organization dedicated to the promotion of democracy and changes in the international community. It consists of 80 former presidents and prime ministers from 56 countries.
