01-12-2011 12:14:02

First lady attends event to mark Azerbaijan’s independence in Italy

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended a ceremony dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s independence in the Vatican on Tuesday as part of her visit to Italy.

Prior to the ceremony, Aliyeva, who heads the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, met with Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican's culture minister.

Recalling his visit to Azerbaijan and acquaintance with the Foundation, Ravasi highlighted the importance of the project implemented by Azerbaijan in the Vatican’s Apostolic Library, which allowed to restore 15 out of 40 manuscripts on Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani first lady hailed close cooperation between the sides. She praised the Vatican’s role in the joint projects implemented by the Foundation and expressed confidence in further expansion of these ties.

Following the meeting, Aliyeva and Ravasi familiarized themselves with an exhibition featuring photos and video clips of Baku’s ancient and contemporary looks, cultural monuments, as well as Azerbaijan’s abundant cultural heritage. Ravasi was also informed about Azerbaijani carpets.

The visitors also viewed works presented in the international arts festival Giz Galasi (Maiden’s Tower).

Aliyeva got acquainted with manuscripts restored with the aid of Azerbaijani scientists in the Apostolic Library.

The Italian version of the “Azerbaijan” publication was also presented as part of the exhibition.

At the opening of the ceremony, Ravasi said that Azerbaijan is paying a lot of attention to intercultural dialogue. He described Azerbaijan as a tolerant country and stressed that cooperation between Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Vatican is “useful”.

Ravasi highly valued Aliyeva’s contribution to the popularization of her country’s culture.

Addressing the event, Azerbaijan’s first lady spoke of the country’s achievements over the past 20 years. She briefed attendees on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict and pointed out that the dispute had resulted in the displacement of over one million Azerbaijanis and destruction of historical and cultural monuments in Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region that has been under Armenian occupation since a 1990s war.

According to her, Azerbaijan still favors a peaceful settlement of the long-standing conflict on the basis of international law.

Aliyeva also underlined that Azerbaijan became the most active initiator and participant of large-scale regional projects.

TAGS: First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, Azerbaijan, Vatican, Italy, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi