British Foundation for Study of Azerbaijan and Caucasus to hold its inaugural fundraiser event in London

Baku, January 25 AZERTAC The British Foundation for the Study of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus (BFSAC) will hold its inaugural fundraiser event at the V&A museum in London, on January 25. The event will be held to raise funds for the BFSAC and also present the findings of the Oxford University Nizami Ganjavi Programme's archaeological mission to Bərdə, the capital of ancient kingdom of Caucasian Albania. The event will be held with the participation of prominent academics from the UK, Russia and Azerbaijan, and accompanied by a piece of traditional Azeri music. The British Foundation for the Study of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus (BFSAC) is the first organisation in the UK created with the aim of bringing together all existing educational and cultural projects related to Azerbaijan and the wider Caucasus region. Since Azerbaijan's independence in1990, the main cooperation between the UK and Azerbaijan has been in the energy sector and trade; the two fields that are heavily focused on promoting the business interests of the two countries. While this is useful, the BFSAC highlight the rich and varied culture and history of Azerbaijan to the UK public, which has had limited exposure to the Caucasus region. BFSAC began this process by forming the Nizami Ganjavi Programme at Oxford University which aims at exploring the languages and cultures of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus. In addition, the Anglo-Azerbaijani society, the longest serving organisation working to foster friendship between the two countries, has initiated a number of small projects to promote educational and cultural acitvities and to encourage exchange of ideas and people between the UK and Azerbaijan. The aim of the BFSAC is to substantially increase the number and scope of these projects and to create new research and cultural opportunities for anyone interested in learning more about this part of the world.