Ilyumzhinov expressed satisfaction with his stay in Azerbaijan, and said the Chess Grand Prix, which kicked off in Baku on Oct. 1, is being held at the highest level.
He said that out of 181 FIDE member states only Azerbaijan has a state program for the development of chess.
The FIDE president said the relevant structures have already carried out the state program and their results are known.
“Thus, Azerbaijan has hosted a number of influential competitions, and it twice was the European champion,” Ilyumzhinov noted.
The FIDE president said the extension of the state program for five years would have accelerated the development of chess in Azerbaijan.
Ilyumzhinov said that on Oct. 17 he will visit Armenia and meet with representatives of the local chess authority.
“During the meeting with the President Serzh Sargsyan, I will talk about the Chess World Cup and the Chess Olympiad to be held in Baku. FIDE is a big family, and we want Armenian national team to take part in the competitions. We will discuss this issue. The last time being in Armenia, I said they should take part in these tournaments,” Ilyumzhinov said.
He also noted that Azerbaijan has at the state level given the security guarantees to the Armenian team.
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