The First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the United States, Farid Zeynali, responsible for Diaspora Affairs, visits the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the USA and Canada.
Farid Zeynali, the First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the United States, responsible for diaspora affairs, visited the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the USA and Canada. He was welcomed by Boris Kandov, President of the Congress; Baruch Babayev, Chief Rabbi of the North American communities; and Rafael Nektalov, Coordinator of the Congress and Editor-in-Chief of The Bukharian Times.
In his welcoming remarks, Boris Kandov spoke about his trip to Baku in March 2024, sharing impressions of his meetings with Prime Minister Ali Asadov and Fuad Mansurov, Chairman of the State Committee for Diaspora Affairs. He mentioned the participation of Michael Zavulunov, President of the Tajikistan Fund, and Rafael Nektalov as international observers in Azerbaijan’s parliamentary elections. Kandov also discussed business mogul Leon Nektalov’s trip to Azerbaijan, as President of the Bukharian Jewish Community Center, where he was invited alongside journalists Rafael Nektalov, Erin Levi, and Ariel Rubinov. The conversation also touched on other cultural projects aimed at strengthening ties between the peoples of the United States and Azerbaijan.
Farid Zeynali expressed his gratitude to Rafael Nektalov for organizing the meeting and spoke about his work. As Deputy to Azerbaijani Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim, he focuses on diaspora issues. Zeynali emphasized his familiarity with the activities of the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the USA and Canada, which are widely covered in Azerbaijani media and on numerous websites in the United States and Azerbaijan. He highlighted the Congress’s long-standing efforts in people-to-people diplomacy with Azerbaijan. The 24th Congress of the World Bukharian Jewish Congress, held in Baku in 2024 and led by Lev Leviev, was another vivid testament to the friendship and cooperation between the two peoples.
“I am pleased to recognize that in interacting with Bukharian Jews, I am also engaging with representatives of the Uzbek people. I was fortunate to work for two years at our embassy in Tashkent,” Zeynali noted.
Rafael Nektalov remarked on Azerbaijan’s growing influence in the Caucasus region and the international community. He highlighted Baku as a venue for significant UN conferences and other influential gatherings. Nektalov expressed hope that in the future, Chief Rabbi Baruch Babayev would be invited to one of the interfaith meetings hosted in Azerbaijan.
After the visit, Rafael Nektalov invited Zeynali to a restaurant, where they met with honored artist of Uzbekistan and former Metropolitan Opera soloist, singer Yosef Shalamaev, as well as popular singer, poet, and composer Yuhan Benyaminov.
“I was deeply moved by their voices, their reverence for Azerbaijan, and their love for the national music of my people,” Zeynali confessed. “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who organized my meeting with the leadership of the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the USA and Canada. Thank you for the hospitality, which is a well-known quality of our peoples.”
This article originally was published in issue 1195 and was translated from Russian into English.