Photos on Azerbaijan was exhibited at International Francophonie Festival in Sofia

The Azerbaijani Language and Culture Center of Baku Slavic University (BSU) operating under Sofia University named after St. Kliment Ohridsky traditionally participated in the 12th Soleil International Francophonie Festival held in Sozopol under the auspices of the Vice President of Bulgaria Iliana Yotova with a photo exhibition, Azernews reports, citing Azertag.

Accrding to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Bulgaria, the event initiated by the Center was dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the 100th anniversary of the birth of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, and the 10th anniversary of the Azerbaijani Language and Culture Center operating at Sofia University of BSU.

As part of the festival, a front exhibition entitled "Historical pages of Azerbaijan: 105th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan People's Republic" was presented at the Museum Center located in the ancient part of Sozopol. Photos and documents on the history of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic were displayed at the exhibition.

Representatives of the Sozopol mayor's office, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Romania, Albania, Portugal, Macedonia and other countries, media representatives, city residents and other guests took part in the Azerbaijan night.

Director of the festival Aleksandrina Isaylova, who opened the event with an introduction, said that there is very little information about the ancient and rich history of Azerbaijan in Bulgaria, and noted that the exhibition aroused great interest among the guests of the event.

Sofia Shigayeva-Mitreska, director of the Azerbaijani Language and Culture Center, spoke about the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first democratic, secular, parliamentary republic in the Muslim East, and its main achievements, the activities of the republic's delegation at the Paris Peace Conference, and the de facto recognition of the republic. It was noted that despite living for only 23 months, the APC achieved significant success in a short period of time, laid the foundations of statehood traditions, gave women the right to vote much earlier than Western countries, and implemented a number of reforms in the field of education.

It was brought to attention that modern independent Azerbaijan, the successor of the Republic, has become a strong and influential country of the region as a result of President Ilham Aliyev's successful continuation of the bright and far-sighted foreign policy founded by Great Leader Heydar Aliyev and recognized as a reliable partner on a global scale.

It should be noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Bulgaria's membership in the International Organization of Francophonie, and a number of related events are being held in the country. The International Francophonie Festival is one of the great events among them, and is a great cultural event in Sofia, as well as in the social and cultural life of Bulgaria.