NEWS

Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office has assessed the damage done by Armenian side. 

The Prosecutor General's Office reports that a number of educational, industrial, and agricultural facilities in the occupied territories, hundreds of cultural institutions, including 927 libraries with 4.6 million books, 808 palaces of culture, clubs, and cultural centers, 85 music and art schools, 22 museums and museum branches with more than 100,000 artifacts, 4 art galleries, 4 theaters, 2 concert halls, 8 culture, and recreation parks were damaged as a result of Armenian vandalism. 

Over 700 historical and cultural monuments, including Khudafarin bridges with 11 and 15 meter high arcs in Jabrayil, Ganjasar and Khudavand temples in Kalbajar, the mausoleum in Aghdam's Khachin Turbatli village, one of the world's most ancient settlements-Azykh cave in Fuzuli and Shusha State Historical-Architectural Reserve were damaged as well. 

More than 100,000 valuable and rare exhibits of world importance discovered as a result of archeological excavations were destroyed and looted in Khojaly, Aghdam's Uzerliktepe village, Garakopek mounds in Fuzuli and other historical  and cultural sites, which were used to support military operations.

As a result of Armenian vandalism, samples of Azerbaijan's historical culture discovered during illegal archeological excavations were looted and illegally transported to Armenia in order to perpetuate the occupation and convince the international community of the historical existence of Armenians in the occupied territories.

Moreover, underground and surface resources belonging to Azerbaijan were looted on the occupied territories. A long-lasting, and serious damage has been intentionally caused to the environment.

Objects and documents of special historical, scientific, literary and cultural value, illegally exported to the Republic of Armenia and privatized by it, were lost, damaged or destroyed. Movable and immovable property worth billions of manats belonging to Azerbaijan, its citizens, individuals and legal entities, was destroyed by burning, explosions and other socially dangerous methods. 

Based on these facts, a criminal case was opened by Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office under Articles 116.0.2 (violation of international humanitarian law during an armed conflict), 116.0.8-1 (intentional militarization of cultural property without military necessity, including cultural property under enhanced protection, or the use of cultural property under enhanced protection or areas adjacent to it to support military operations), 183.2.1 (looting of items of special value), 186.3 (intentional destruction or damage to property), 193-1 (legalization of criminally obtained funds or other property), 206.4 (smuggling) and other articles of  Azerbaijan's Criminal Code.

Prosecutors are inspecting the scene in the liberated areas and carrying out other investigative actions necessary to determine the inflicted damage.

The General Prosecutor's Office will appeal to international organizations and take appropriate actions.

Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theater has successfully performed in Russia.

The theater took part in the International Festival of Russian theaters of the North Caucasus's republics and the countries of the Black Sea-Caspian region, near and far abroad.

The actors delighted the audience with the play "Muse Jordan, the scientific botanist and dervish Mastalishah, the well-known sorcerer", staged by People's Artist Alexander Sharovsky.

The festival was held in Makhachkala, bringing together theater teams from Azerbaijan, Russia, Germany, etc. Some theater performances were shown online amid coronavirus pandemic.

The performance of national actors impressed both the festival experts and the audience.

The State Academic Russian Drama Theater was awarded a diploma and an artistic symbol of the prize called "Theater".

Note that the production "Musier Jordan, scientist botanist, and dervish Mastalishah, the famous sorcerer" was timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of playwright Mirza Fatali Akhundzade.

It was first presented to the Baku audience on December 30, 2011. Since then, the performance has been staged in many countries like Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova etc.

The Russian Drama Theater joined the festival for the second time. In 2018, the theater presented the play "The Fate of the Artist of People's Artist Irana Tagizadeh. The production was warmly welcomed by theater lovers.

A briefing for foreign diplomatic corps and media representatives on "Armenia's crimes against the historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan" was held at ADA University on October 28.

The briefing was attended by Assistant to the Azerbaijani President, head of the Presidential Administration's Foreign Policy Department Hikmat Hajiyev, First Deputy Minister of Culture, Acting Culture Minister Anar Karimov and ADA University Vice Rector Fariz Ismayilzade.

In his speech, Fariz Ismayilzadeh stressed that Armenia's policy of military aggression and aggression against Azerbaijan which has lasted for almost 30 years, also targets Azerbaijan's cultural heritage.

Speaking at the briefing, Hikmat Hajiyev said that the Armenian armed forces continue to aggressively attack Azerbaijani settlements, firing rockets at civilian infrastructure in settlements far from the military zone of the defeated country.

As a result of Armenia's aggression, four civilians were killed in a rocket attack on Garayusifli village of Barda region on October 27. Another terrorist act was carried out in Barda  the following day. 

The Assistant to the Azerbaijani President noted that one of the goals of Armenia's policy of aggression is to deliberately destroy the national heritage of the Azerbaijani people. These are ethnic and cultural cleansing, war crimes. The cultural genocide committed by Armenia against the Azerbaijani people is an attack on Azerbaijani culture and world cultural monuments in general.

In his remarks, Anar Karimov said that Karabakh is the cradle of Azerbaijani culture, which Armenia has occupied for almost 30 years, looted its cultural heritage and destroyed its historical monuments.

He noted that Karabakh, which has a rich cultural heritage, is home to such great personalities and cultural figures as Panahali khan Javanshir, Khurshidbanu Natavan, Uzeyir Hajibeyli, Molla Panah Vagif, Bulbul, Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev and many others.

Anar Karimov noted that the destruction of historical monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, the looting of cultural heritage is aimed at destroying the cultural identity of Azerbaijanis in these areas.

The destruction of historical monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh, which testify to the centuries-old existence of the Azerbaijani population, is an attempt to lose these traces, to destroy the cultural identity of Azerbaijanis.

According to statistics from the early 1990s, 2,625 monuments were registered in the occupied territories.

This list includes 11 monuments of international importance, 240 of national importance and 455 of local importance, In total,  706 monuments were protected by the state.

He also noted that hundreds of cultural institutions, including 927 libraries with 4.6 million books, 808 palaces of culture, clubs and houses of culture, 85 music and art schools, 22 museums and museum branches with more than 100,000 exhibits, 4 art galleries. , 4 theaters, 2 concert halls, 8 culture and recreation parks, as well as one of the oldest settlements in the world in the Fuzuli region - Azykh cave, Shusha State Historical-Architectural Reserve fell victim to Armenian vandalism.

The same trace can be also traced in Zangilan, which was recently liberated by the Azerbaijani Army.

The Minister stressed that  the use of the mosque in Zangilan as a stable is a violation of international norms and an insult to the Islamic world.

"This is an act of vandalism. We hope that this fact will be strictly condemned and evaluated by international organizations. We hope that international organizations will call on Armenia to stop targeting and destroying historical monuments," he said.

Nearly 300 mosques were registered in the Irevan province in the early twentieth century. Only the Blue Mosque has partially survived so that Armenian side could hide its aggressive actions from the international community.

Speaking about the recent atrocities committed by the Armenian armed forces, Anar Karimov said that the rocket attack on Ganja, a second largest city and the ancient cultural center of Azerbaijan, about 80 kilometers from the conflict zone, not only killed and injured civilians, but also damaged historical buildings. Other monuments, such as the 19th-century Ganja Gymnasium, the ninth-century Imamzadeh Mosque, and the 19th-century Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Church, were also damaged by Armenian rocket attacks.

Anar Karimov noted that manuscripts and other valuable exhibits owned by museums in the territories occupied by Armenia were destroyed or stolen and sold on black markets. In addition, valuable examples of Azerbaijani carpet weaving were looted.

"We will raise the issue of how to bring them back. This includes valuable exhibits and our carpets. We found our valuable carpets at some auctions. We will continue to return those carpets and valuable exhibits to our country," said Karimov.

"Targeting cultural heritage is a war crime. For more than 27 years, Armenia has been systematically and deliberately destroying or changing the nature of cultural and historical heritage in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. This was documented by the OSCE fact-finding missions in the occupied territories in 2005 and 2010. In addition, satellite images and reports from the international media show that these illegal actions violate international humanitarian law, including the 1954 UNESCO Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two protocols," he added.

The damage to historical and cultural monuments, houses of culture, libraries, theaters, music schools and museums located in the regions liberated by the Azerbaijani Army would be measured.

Relevant monitoring would be carried out and the Ministry of Culture will restore these monuments and cultural institutions.

Baku Choreographic Academy has presented the patriotic project "Victory". The project is dedicated to the Azerbaijan Armed Forces, which is currently liberating Azerbaijan's territories occupied by Armenia.

The music video features Fikrat Amirov's Azerbaijan Capriccio. The choreographer is People's Artist Yusif Gasimov,  artistic director- People's Artist Kamilla Huseynova, the author of the idea-Honored Art Worker Sonakhanum Ibrahimova.

People's Artist Tarana Muradova, Honored Artists Sabina Gasimova, Sanan Huseynli and Gulmamed Shahverdiyev, video editor-Abulfaz Babazade, director-Galib Bagirov and many others were involved in the project.

Baku Choreography Academy, formally Baku Choreography School, is a high school in Baku, Azerbaijan, specialized in general, secondary and higher education programs in the field of choreography.

The Academy was established on April 30, 2014 by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the basis of Baku Choreography School.

The main goal of the academy is to develop Azerbaijan's choreographic art. The Academy's students  successfully represent  Azerbaijan at many international dance competitions.

Baku School of Choreography is more than 80 years old. A film about the academy was shot in 2005. The film covers the history and activities of the school. 

Since the early Middle Ages, various kinds of dances started to form in Azerbaijan.

Vagzali, gangi, yalli, terekeme, nalbeki are among other popular dances in the country.

Vagzali is played when the bride is seen off from her family house to the house of the bridegroom and her departure is reflected in this dance.

Yalli is a very old and traditional dance in Azerbaijan. At first, it was performed in the form of a traditional celebration of fire, which was a source of heat, light, and warm food. In this traditional celebration, dancers worship fire as a goddess. This dance is performed by a group of people and in ancient times whoever didn’t dance properly was fined by the chieftain who would make him sing a song or dance another dance.

Terekeme is a dance of tribesmen. Those who are dancing extend their arms and go forward with their heads up. This dance is filled with the feelings of freedom and expansiveness. Both men and women perform it.

Nalbeki (saucer) is a dance performed only by women, during the dance saucers are used.

The first professional dance group in Azerbaijan was created in 1938 on the basis of amateur performance. The ensemble performed with a diverse repertoire, consisting of ancient and modern folk dances. 

Today, traditional dances are still performed by people of Azerbaijan.

Now they are widely taught and performed throughout the country and abroad.

International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation has issued a statement on Armenian armed forces’ missile attack on Barda on October 28.

The statement reads: “On October 28, the Armenian armed forces shelled the Azerbaijani city of Barda with missiles from the Smerch multiple launch rocket system, which led to heavy casualties among the civilian population. As a result of insidious rocket attack on the city of Barda, 21 civilians including children were killed, and more than 70 people were seriously injured.

Heavy artillery fire aimed at civilians is a great threat and a crime not only against the Azerbaijani people, but also against humanity as a whole.

The International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation strongly condemns these attacks on the civilian population of Azerbaijan and calls on international organizations and the world community not to remain indifferent to this vile policy that leads to the murder of innocent people.

The International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation commemorates the memory of those killed as a result of military provocations of Armenia, expresses deep condolences to their families and all Azerbaijani people, wishes the wounded a speedy recovery.”

Azerbaijani singer Emil Kadirov has recorded a virtual concert "Dedication to Azerbaijan".

The shooting took place in Moscow in the Historical-Architectural Art and Tsaritsyno Landscape Museum-Reserve. 

During the concert, Emil Kadirov performed well-known works of outstanding Azerbaijani composers - Uzeyir Hajibeyli, Tofig Guliyev, Muslim Magomayev, Polad Bulbuloglu and others.

The virtual concert is available on Tsaritsyno website and on social networks.

Emil Kadirov is currently living in Russia. Kadirov is a graduate of the Rashid Behbudov Baku Music School in classical guitar and Belgorod College of Music. 

He is also a participant in master classes by Elena Obraztsova and Tamara Sinyavskaya, and a laureate of international competitions.

In 2012, Emil was invited to perform at Romansiada Contest of Young Vocalists, where he became a finalist and afterwards was nominated as one of award holders.

The singer successfully represented Azerbaijan at the New Wave 2018 International Competition for Young Pop Singers in Sochi.

Emil’s concert repertoire includes numerous opera arias, Russian romances as well as popular Russian and foreign songs.

Emil Kadirov recently founded a music school in Moscow.

MUSIC WAY is a music school for talented kids and adults. The music school gathers music experts who are passionate about their work.

A new documentary has been presented to the public. The documentary " I am Ganja" highlights Armenia's missile attack  against civilians in Ganja city.

The tragic events took place at night, when everyone was asleep.

As a result of rocket and artillery shelling of Ganja by the Armenian Armed Forces on October 4, 11 and 17, 26 people were killed, including 10 women and 6 children, 138 people were wounded, and extensive damage was caused to civilian and infrastructural facilities and vehicles.

The film, shot by Ramil Aghasiyev, is presented through the vision of the popular actor Zia Agha.

The documentary features English captions to spread realities about missile attack on Ganja.

The cinematographer is Fahir Samedoglu, producer- Zamig Alovsatoglu, film editor- Rasim Ramazanov.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict started with Armenia's open territorial claims to Azerbaijan's historical lands and ethnic provocations in 1988.

More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities initiated by Armenia.

Since 1994, hostilities between the two countries have persisted despite the temporary cease-fire agreement. Usually, Armenian forces violate the ceasefire regime on the line of contact. But recently Armenia has increased military aggression on the border.