However, the abuse of culture for purposes of war mobilization could not be further from its real nature: In the multitude of “life- worlds,” with an almost infinite diversity of approaches, “culture” is the expression of how humanity has perceived, interpreted, or adorned reality through all of history. [...] Whether it is enthusiasm for music or the arts, the search of knowledge or perfection in a particular field, or the “love of the game”: culture transcends all borders – whether political, geographic or mental – and allows people to discover their humanity. [...] A most encouraging example of the “dialogical power” of culture is the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (consisting of an equal number of Israeli and Arab musicians) that has been designated by the United Nations as “UN Global Advocate for Cultural Understanding.” Having listened to yesterday’s brilliant performance of the Baku Chamber Orchestra, I would also like to emphasize the great potential of t. [...] Other, more mundane examples of the dialogical power of culture relate to the role of sports, as in the case of the so-called “ping-pong diplomacy” between the United States and China in 1971, which preceded the establishment of diplomatic relations among the two countries. [...] In the words of the late Heydar Aliyev – and in the “spirit of Shusha” – one may confidently say: “Of all moral riches of humanity, religion’s distinguished feature is that it has always called people to friendship, solidarity and unity regardless of their [religious] affiliation.” In conclusion: A polity that values cultural diversity and respects the cultural identity of “the other,” even the fo.
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