The ceremony was held as part of the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality, organised by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation on November 19-20.
Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, head of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation's office in Russia Leyla Aliyeva said at the ceremony that the fund aims to promote Nasimi's creativity, the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza reported. "Nasimi lived and worked in the 14th-15th centuries. He played a huge role in the development of Azerbaijani literature, created one of the first masterpieces of Azerbaijani poetry, laying the foundation of the Azerbaijani literary language. Nasimi's poetry is relevant today as well. This September the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality was held in Azerbaijan for the first time. It was done to dive deep into higher consciousness. the Festival was held in Shamakhi, Nasimi's homeland, in "Gala", the temple of fire-worshipers and, of course, in Baku, a total of 30 events were held in 4 days," she said.
"Nasimi’s philosophy is so deep that it is capable of embracing the immense, penetrating deep into human consciousness and explaining many phenomena. We are infinitely grateful and very pleased that today we are opening the bust of a great man at MGIMO. For us it’s very important, because we want Nasimi's poetry to live. Truth is timeless. Beauty, love, nature are endless sources of inspiration for Nasimi. He believed that in order to achieve truth, one must penetrate into the depths of man’s soul and see beauty and kindness in it," Leyla Aliyeva said, expressing gratitude to MGIMO rector Anatoly Torkunov.
Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia, Polad Bulbul oglu also expressed gratitude to the university's leadership. "Thank you for providing an excellent opportunity to unveil the bust of a great Azerbaijani poet, a thinker, a philosopher, which will always remind the students of Nasimi's deep philosophy. I also want to express my great appreciation to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the sculptor. Special thanks to Leyla Aliyeva for her often visits to Moscow, heading the AMOR organization and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation's representative office in Russia," he said.
"Today we have gathered at the alma mater of our President Ilham Aliyev. I would like to emphasize that this university is especially valuable for Azerbaijanis because our national leader, the patriarch of Azerbaijani politics, the prominent statesman Heydar Aliyev and the current President Ilham Aliyev are honorary doctors of MGIMO. We are always happy to be here, and today's event is another evidence of our indestructible friendship. I want to wish success to the university administration," Polad Bulbul oglu concluded.
The goal of the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality in Moscow is to tell about Nasimi's art and expand cultural and literary ties between Russia and Azerbaijan.
The Institute of Asian and African Countries (ISAA) and the Moscow State University will host an event dedicated to the poet. The speakers will talk about Nasimi's role in the development of Azerbaijani poetry, his contribution to world culture and literature. MSU students will recite Nasimi's poems in various languages, the Markhaba poetry and music performance will be presented by actors from Azerbaijan.
On November 20, a conference dedicated to the heritage of Nasimi will be held at the Institute of Asian and African Countries. It will feature presentations on the following topics: 'The Nasimi Festival: practice of dynamic interpretation of the cultural and ideological heritage', 'Nasimi and Jan Hus. cultural unity of the East and the West', 'Language of Nasimi - yesterday, today, tomorrow' and other topics. Along with the speeches, which analyze the various aspects of Nasimi’s creativity, his literary and philosophical heritage, the conference will include discussions on the spirituality of modern youth, the development of ties between the youth of Russia and Azerbaijan.
The Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality took place in Azerbaijan on September 27-30 upon the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. During the festival, programs were organized in various places in Baku, as well as in Shamakhi, the native city of the poet.
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