Film screening. Film (Hungary) - part of the International project of contemporary art: "PEACE BE UPON YOU - SALAM ALEYKUM"

Why shouldn't we live in peace?
Virgil Maron Publius

Peace for joy and happiness - not for oppression and distress.
Nizami Ganjavi

The Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in cooperation with Diplomatic Missions in Azerbaijan like Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, United Nations, as well as the Norwegian Embassy in Ankara, with the participation of leading cultural organizations and institutions of Azerbaijan, is carrying out a Contemporary Art project named PEACE BE UPON YOU - SALAM ALEYKUM.

In the project PEACE BE UPON YOU - SALAM ALEYKUM, the themes of preserving peace and peacekeeping are considered in an artistic form. The relevance of contemporary art and the use of information technology in the spread of the project's theme will contribute to the mobilization of peace activists and the involvement of tens of thousands of representatives of society from all over the world in the process of strengthening the international security system and preserving Peace.

Retargeting modern society to a culture of peace is the most important task of the humanity. Peaceful settlement of conflicts should remain a priority in international relations, and therefore today there is no worthy alternative to peacekeeping, which is an important strategic tool in the settlement and resolution of political conflicts.

Peacekeeping is a broader concept than the military or police component of peacekeeping missions. For a more complete and objective understanding of peacekeeping as a phenomenon, we should turn to the initial, original meaning of this word.

From the Bible: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9). According to the postulates of the Christian doctrine, peacemaking is a form of human activity or social community, the purpose of which is to create a world in which there is no place for mutual enmity. One of the indispensable conditions for this is the non-violent nature of the establishment of peace, which is a kind of ideal of peacekeepers of all times and peoples.

As-salamu ‘alaykum -“Peace be upon you” is an ancient Arabic greeting rooted in Islam and used by Muslims of various nationalities. “You will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love one another other. Shall I tell you of something that, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread the greeting of peace among yourselves." (Muhammad)

The phenomenon of peacemaking as a fact has been proclaimed and comprehended for many centuries, both in religious systems, as well as in the philosophical reflections of Herodotus, Epictetus, Proudhon, Kant, etc.

The current generation associates peacekeeping not only with collective actions of international organizations of a political and military nature aimed at resolving international disputes, preventing and ending armed conflicts, mainly by peaceful means in order to eliminate the threat to international peace, but also largely with the international security system.

Today, the ideology of the international peace movement finds its support in various parts of the world. Modern, "new" pacifism is characterized by the fact that it does not boil down simply to a denial of war, but at the same time carries a protest against the militarization of the entire society and world politics. The project PEACE BE UPON YOU - SALAM ALEYKUM will be attended by cultural organisations from the countries: Azerbaijan, Latvia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Norway, Turkey, Ukraine, and the USA. The program of the project will include several art events such as art exhibitions, film screenings, presentations, meetings, debates.
The artistic coordination of the project is leaded by Sabina Shikhlinskaya Honored artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Embassy of Latvia as the NATO Contact Point Embassy in 2021-2022 is intended to further facilitate dialogue with Azerbaijan within the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council on the Women, Peace and Security Resolution as well as issues of peacekeeping, civil-military cooperation and crucial infrastructure. In the project PEACE BE UPON YOU – SALAM ALEYKUM the Embassy is planning to organize an International Conference “Azerbaijan’s contribution to Euro-Atlantic Peace and Security.” (online/offline) with a focus on peacekeeping and an aim to bring together high-level security policy professionals from both NATO and Azerbaijan with students and youth.