National Day of Azerbaijan celebrated in Pakistan
Islamabad:The 92nd National Day of Azerbaijan was celebrated with the ambassador, Dr Eynulla Madatli hosting a reception here at the Marriott hotel.
The reception was attended by diplomats and Pakistanis from different walks of life including political entities and members of the Azeri and Turkish communities living in the capital. The guest of honour was Minister for Law Babar Awan and he, along with a number of other guests, cut the cake after the national anthems of both countries had been played. Mrs Madatli was not present and she was missed but the host displayed Azeri hospitality and was active in seeing to his guests. Since his arrival here he has made many friends and is a popular envoy — always soft-spoken and very amiable.
The reception was a relaxing time for those who attended — dinner was served and those who did not have to rush off to attend other functions enjoyed the specialties that were presented. Books on Azeri politics and economy, both in English and Urdu were available for guests to take home, including the book of Azeri poetry, ‘A Drop in the Ocean’ which was recently launched in Islamabad.
Guests conversed about the weather which had cooled down after the morning showers; were horrified by the terrorist attacks in Lahore and wondered aloud what would be the outcome of the NRO imbroglio. The football World Cup also figured and most guests who are sports aficionados were planning to watch the matches where big screens were available.
Here are a few facts and figures about the Azerbaijan. The oil rich country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It has been famed for its oil springs and natural gas sources since ancient times, when Zoroastrians, for whom fire is an important symbol, erected temples around burning gas vents in the ground. In the 19th century this part of the Russian empire experienced an unprecedented oil boom which attracted international investment. By the beginning of the 20th century Azerbaijan was supplying almost half of the world’s oil.
Azeribaijan has a rich culture and a tolerance for other cultures — a dictionary of the Juhuro-Mountain Jew language has been published of late; eleven years old violinist Elvin Ganiyev gave a ‘triumphant’ performance in Moscow and won hearts and minds; vocalist Safura Alizadeh is representing his country in the ‘Eurovision Song Contest’ and Azeri cooks have brought home a clutch of 11 medals and a Grand Prix and cup from an international contest held in Greece and so on — the list is long.
Azeris are keen sportspersons and recently their team won seven medals in judo at the European contest held in Poland while the wrestling team won six medals at the Belarus tournament, while Azeri grandmaster, Teymur Rajabov becomes the second bidder to challenge Viswanathan Anand for the world title.The News
