Azernews.Az

BAKU – The wedding of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s younger daughter, Arzu Aliyeva, was held last Saturday in the capital Baku.

Aliyeva, 22, married Samad Gurbanov, the only son of the Russia-based businessman, founder of the All-Russian Congress of Azerbaijanis Aydin Gurbanov, who passed away in 2003.

23-year-old Samad Gurbanov, who was born and raised in the Russian capital and graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, is currently engaged in family business.

As for Aliyeva, she was educated in Britain and is fluent in four foreign languages. Aliyeva is closely involved in charity work and attends events conducted by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is headed by Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva.

Some reports say that Arzu and Samad have known each other since childhood, and their engagement took place this spring.

The couple wedded at the new Amburan Estate recreation center in Bilgah, a settlement located on the Caspian coast 40 km away from the center of Baku. The wedding ceremony was held outdoors due to hot weather. Invitees included only close relatives and friends of the president’s family, as well as the heads of numerous diplomatic missions based in Azerbaijan.

It was a rather modest, but refined ceremony. The guests had to follow a dress code, with women wearing long night gowns and men wearing tailcoats.

The menu included mostly Azerbaijani dishes, with a touch of European cuisine.

As for music, Azerbaijani songs sounded the most, though Russian and European compositions were played as well.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and First Lady Svetlana Medvedeva extended their warm congratulations to the newlyweds in a special letter addressed to the bride’s parents, Russia’s state news agency Itar-Tass reported.