― 20 апреля 2023 г.
Promotion of Shusha, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2023 in Belgrade
An event was organised in Serbia to promote Shusha, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2023 declared by TURKSOY.
Within the framework of the Cultural Days of Azerbaijan held under the motto "Azerbaijan, the Land of Fires" in cooperation with TURKSOY and the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on April 18th-20th, 2023 an event was organized to promote Shusha -The Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2023.
The promotional event held at the Madlena Art Palace in Belgrade featured a photography exhibition on "Shusha -The Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2023" prepared by TURKSOY along with an exhibition of a collection of traditional garments of women from the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and an exhibition of “Karabakh Carpets”. During the event, short films introducing Azerbaijani culture were shown, and guests were served baklava dessert as an example of Azerbaijani cuisine.
The opening speeches of the event, which was attended by ambassadors and diplomats of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Bulgaria, Morocco, Ukraine and other countries, representatives of various institutions and organisations of Belgrade, as well as many art lovers, were delivered by the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Belgrade H. E. Mr. Kamil Hasiyev and the Representative of Azerbaijan to TURKSOY Mr. Elchin Gafarli.
In the speech he delivered, Mr. Gafarlı conveyed the greetings of the Secretary General of the International Organisation of Turkic Culture H. E. Mr. Sultan Raev to the audience and stressed that the city of Shusha, the cradle of culture and art of Azerbaijan, was declared Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2023 upon decision of Permanent Council of TURKSOY at its 39th term meeting held in Bursa. Noting that Shusha, the historical center of the culture of Azerbaijan is known as the homeland of famous scholars, teachers, intellectuals and artists, Mr. Gafarlı further said: "Within the framework of its project aiming at the declaration of a city of the Turkic World as its Cultural Capital every year, TURKSOY will not only bring together the world famous figures of culture and art in Shusha this year, but also carry out various activities to promote the rich cultural heritage of Shusha in many countries of the world. It is a great pleasure for me to be witnessing one of the first activities of this kind together with you in the beautiful Madlena Art Palace in Belgrade today. Our mugham artists from Azerbaijan will introduce our traditional folk music to you and we hope that you will appreciate their beautifully unique performances."
The event featured a short concert in which the Mugam Trio Ensemble from Azerbaijan performed songs about Shusha, while dancers from Azerbaijan introduced various traditional dances of their country to the audience.
The opening speeches were followed by a ceremony in which Mr. Gafarli handed over plaquettes of TURKSOY to Mr. Kamil Hasiyev, the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Serbia in gratitude of his strong contribution to the organization of the event as well as to Mrs. Madlena Zepter, to thank her for having hosted the event.
