Day of Azerbaijan Culture in Minsk

It was a really hot day in Minsk on Saturday, 12 August. The reason, however, was not only the heatwave in the capital. The historical Upper Town welcomed Minsk residents and guests to the Day of Azerbaijan Culture that created the atmosphere of sunny Baku with lively music and dances.

In January 2017 Belarus and Azerbaijan marked 25 years of diplomatic relations. Today the countries continue expanding cooperation in politics, economy and culture. The Day of Azerbaijan has been held in Minsk for the second time.

The Day of Azerbaijan Culture was organized in cooperation with the Minsk City Hall, the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Belarus and the international public association “Congress of Azerbaijan Communities”. Opening the festival, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Belarus Latif Gandilov noted: "We know that Belarus has a high regard for other nations and their cultures. Such meetings provide us with an opportunity to learn more about each other."

The program of the event featured Azerbaijan folk dances performed by choreography bands Legends of the Caucasus and Sari gelin, and beautiful Azerbaijan songs… Performing at the festival were also young Belarusian singers, including Belarus’ 2015 Junior Eurovision entry Ruslan Aslanov and participant of the international show Turkvision 2015 Sasha Kyazimova.

Visitors to the fair, which was arranged nearby, could taste pomegranate juice, quince compote, fig and other oriental sweets, attend cooking shows and taste the dishes of the Azerbaijan traditional cuisine: pilaf, dolma, lamb shashlik and refreshing tea.

Photo: Maksim Guchek