Azerbaijan`s Gabala has hosted a solemn opening ceremony of the "Cultural Capitals of the CIS - 2013" interstate program and a certificate presentation ceremony as the city was declared the cultural capital of the CIS for 2013.
Gabala was declared the cultural capital of the Commonwealth of Independent States for the year 2013 at a joint meeting of the CIS Council for Cultural Cooperation and the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund in Ashgabat on October 15-17, 2012.
Prior to the opening ceremony, the event participants visited a monument to national leader Heydar Aliyev in the center of Gabala.
They also viewed the Gabala Cultural Center.
Opening the event, Azerbaijan`s ambassador to Russia, chairman of the Board of the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund Polad Bulbuloglu said that the event brought together officials from more than 10 countries.
The diplomat highlighted the establishment and activities of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation.
He noted that the fund gives impetus to expanding humanitarian cooperation in the CIS area.
Bulbuloglu noted Gabala hosted international cultural events, and stressed that “this ancient Azerbaijani city has become an international cultural center of classic music”.
He also hailed Azerbaijan`s President Ilham Aliyev`s, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO and ISESCO goodwill ambassador, MP Mehriban Aliyeva`s attention to developing culture and art in the country.
Bulbuloglu noted the role of national leader Heydar Aliyev in development of cooperation among peoples of CIS countries.
First Deputy Minister of Culture of Tajikistan Mirali Dostiev, expert of the presidential administration of Kyrgyzstan Zairbek Ergeshov, chairman of the National Cultural Center "Modova-Concert" at the Ministry of Culture of Moldova Valentin Goga hailed the event as excellently organized.
Belarus Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikolai Paskevich and head of department on work with the CIS countries of the Russian Ministry of Culture Anton Nazarov offered their sincere congratulations to the people of Azerbaijan in connection with the announcement of Gabala the cultural capital of the CIS.
The certificate was presented to head of Gabala Executive Authorities Sabuhi Abdullayev.
Deputy chairman of the CIS Executive Committee Toktasin Buzubayev read out a congratulatory letter of Executive Secretary of the Committee Sergei Lebedev.
Head of department on work with the CIS countries of the Russian Ministry of Culture Anton Nazarov also read out a congratulatory letter of Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky.
The ceremony was followed by a concert.

AzerTAc