Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

The “Days of Azerbaijani Culture”, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, kicked off in France’s city of Cannes on July 14.

Azerbaijan's First Lady and President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva along with her family members attended the opening ceremony, where participants included renowned French public and political figures.

The host of the event gave detailed information about Azerbaijan, describing it as a modern country, distinguished by a rich culture and ancient history.

The presenter applauded the Heydar Aliyev Foundation’s role in the development of ties between the two countries and praised the organization of the first European Games in Baku.

Held between June 12 and 28, the Games hosted more than 6,000 athletes from 50 countries competing in 20 sports.

Addressing the ceremony the First Lady said that based on friendship, mutual interest, and respect, Azerbaijani-French relations have been developing rapidly in a number of areas in recent years.

She noted that Azerbaijan has signed cooperation and friendship agreements with 12 French cities over the past few years, adding, “This helps our counties and people better know each other, and also opens new opportunities for developing our relations in the economic and humanitarian spheres.”

Mehriban Aliyeva emphasized that Azerbaijan will host the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017 and this will be another contribution to intercultural dialogue by Azerbaijan.

Cannes Mayor Cannes David Lisnard, for his part, highlighted the development of Azerbaijani-French relations, saying the two counties maintain successful cooperation in all fields, particularly in culture.

He touched upon the European Games, hailing the installation of the impressive sports infrastructure.

He said that Cannes is going to benefit from Azerbaijan’s experience in the coming years.

Lisnard stressed the importance of the Days of Culture. “Hosting these days is of crucial importance in terms of promoting the culture of Azerbaijan which has presented unique personalities and masterpieces to the world," he added.

The ceremony was followed by annual Festival d'Art Pyrotechnigue where Baku Fireworks Group was first to perform.

The show featured the works of Azerbaijani composers Uzeyir Hajibayli, Fikrat Amirov, Gara Garayev, Tofig Guliyev, Muslim Magomayev, Alakbar Tagiyev as well as traditional Azerbaijani Mugham performed by world-renowned Alim Gasimov.

The festival was held for the first time in Cannes in 1967. Since 1998, the festival has welcomed the world’s greatest pyrotechnists every year.

The fireworks show lasts for a few days, ending with a final fireworks display in honor of the festival winner.

This year's show, presented by Azerbaijan, was distinguished by its originality and became a true celebration of fireworks for the residents of Cannes and tourists from all over the world.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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