The Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum hold the opening of the conference Museums, Textile Collections and Perspectives of Mutual Cooperation on November 14. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, and the CIS Interstate Foundation for Humanitarian Cooperation are the conference organizers.
Starting the academic sessions, Dr. Shirin Melikova, Museum Director, emphasized that the conference is timed to museum founder Latif Karimov’s birthday and the date of inclusion of the Azerbaijani Traditional Carpet Art within the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. She noted that thirty-nine experts from Azerbaijan, Turkey, UK, Germany, Russia, Italy, Georgia, Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Thailand participated the conference. The presentations will cover such topics as Textile Museums in Digital World, Textile Collections, Project Management, Curatorial Work and Presentation, Specifics of Conservation in Textile Museums, and Audience Development. 
Vagif Aliyev, Deputy Minister of Culture mentioned that the conference  is of great importance to our people. He appreciated the organisation of this conference and the participation of scientists and researchers adding that carpet is the national wealth of Azerbaijani people. “This wealth has historically been preserved and passed passed from generation to generation. Today, looking at each carpet, one can get acquainted with lifestyle and philosophy of ancient people,” said the Deputy Minister.
Afterwards, the museum director presented to the audience the book Azerbaijan Carpet Museum dedicated to the museum’s 50th anniversary. The book tells about the history of museum, different types of Azerbaijani carpets, various spheres of decorative and applied arts, the best exhibits of its rich collection, and outstanding people who contributed to the development of carpet art.
Subsequently, Dainis Garančs, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to the Republic of Azerbaijan told about cultural relations between the two countries. As part of the cooperation, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum and the Embassy of Latvia to the Republic of Azerbaijan organized a fashion show Frozen Dreams of the Latvian designer Evita Smanuhina during the event. 
After the fashion show, the guests got acquainted with the Silk Stories exhibition, dedicated to ikat, Uzbek silk weaving technology. The exhibition reflects all stages of ikat production. Ancient ikat, traditional costumes, suzanne, and types of interior embroidery constitute a significant part of the exhibition. 
The conference will last until November 17.